Nightshade Dreams
by iamgaki
Summary: Struck by a rare poison that induces sleep during an Auror mission, Hermione has one week to make a choice whether to stay in the world where everything she ever truly wished for is a reality or to come back to everything she has ever known. [Complete]
1. Chapter 1

**Nightshade Dreams**

 _By iamgaki_

 **Disclaimer:** Wishing I own Draco Malfoy

Inspired by _The Power of Two Hearts, Chapter 12, by kayjuli_

 _I've been mulling on the idea of Magical Sleep when one of my friends has told me of a story, or rather, a chapter she has read a couple of years ago from a CCS fanfic. Shame we haven't found a copy of the story as the writer pulled it out from the site. Girl, thank you for the Inspiration. Hope this is to your liking._

 _This isn't the first fanfic I've written but this is the first one I've been tormented into posting. Damn persistent friends. Practically bullied me into writing this._

 _This would only be a Two or Three Chapter Story. I planned this to be a One-Shot but my keyboard seemed to have a mind of its own and before I know it, it's more than a couple of pages longer._

 **Summary:** Struck by a rare poison that induces sleep during an Auror mission, Hermione has one week to make a choice whether to stay in the world where everything she ever truly wished for is a reality or to come back to everything she has ever known.

 **Rating: T**

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

 **Chapter 1**

 _She's Fading_

They were still 2 blocks away from the apparition point. The sun was making its futile attempts to illuminate the road they're taking but the ominous looking clouds would storm its way in between, dousing the road in varying shades of yellow and gray.

It sure looks like it would be one of those rainy afternoons. But such thoughts did not even penetrate their already troubled thoughts. All they can think of was that they have to get there. It's just a couple of blocks more, past the muggle city center, down the abandoned alley, the one point in the city where they could finally apparate.

 _Fuck the Statute of Secrecy_

It was times like this where he was cursing every known Magical Protection Law ever written.

They were still down a few hundred or so meters when the weather considerably darkened and the winds picked up signifying the oncoming rain. But they paid it no heed.

They were not aware of the throes of people parting their ways for them to pass through. Nor did they notice the glistening and twinkling burst of pastel colors and every variation of Easter eggs and rabbits and bunnies that adorned every establishment that signifies the nauseatingly sweet holiday. Everything was a blur.

Their steps never did miss a beat. Their legs continued to plow down the rugged street as the promise of rain and a dark wet afternoon finally fell. It did nothing to ruin the speed the three of them has. The hustle they were on was fatal with the possibility of being rammed by a car but neither of them cared. There's only one thing that's on their mind right now. That is the one laying on the back of the golden haired one.

Her long curly tresses lay tussled against the winds and rains whipping across them. Her pale face could be seen visibly from the one who was carrying her. Her immensely golden brown eyes tucked away behind close lids and dark lashes that never once fluttered across the numerous bumps the one carrying her encountered. She looked like she was just sleeping when she was far from it.

Very far from it

The one carrying the girl looked less aggravated than he let on. Anxiety could be seen and felt, his body was tensed and grim were the lines across his mouth. Eyes were as troubled as the movements around him was.

Draco Malfoy looked at his partner for a fraction of a second before looking ahead of him again. He noticed that the surroundings grew darker and darker with the pouring rain but he neither cared nor gave it much importance. He needed to get Granger to St. Mungo's as fast as possible.

Merlin forbid, she needed all the help she could get.

He wished that whatever that struck her, it wasn't what he was thinking about.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

It was during one of their usual missions.

The Four of them have been through enough of these that the coordination is the same as breathing. They were one of the best Auror Groups there is.

Auror Training had been a breeze for them. What with all the experiences they have prior and during the secondary wizarding war, three years of Auror Training have mostly been a walk in the Park.

Only the four of them has been accepted into training. The youngest group ever since the department has been established.

It was expected that Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley would apply for the position as soon as their NEWTS result came out. They were preparing for these since Harry learned of being an Auror in his Fourth year. It may come for debate that Harry was born for this since the day Lord Voldemort has given him his Scar.

What was surprising was the application of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.

It was without a doubt one of the strangest settings they have ever been in. But these did not come without drama. Sharp words were thrown, Hexes were fired but at the end, a truce was formed in order to be alive. It is one thing to hate your comrade when both of your feet are on the ground and you were sipping coffee. It's another when one is dangling from the ceiling avoiding curses while battling an enemy.

That difficult mission squashed all notions of hatred all of them has especially when they owe their lives to each other.

This time however, the mission given was simple enough.

Get in. Shut Down Operations. Apprehend those liable. Get Out.

Hermione Granger was in charge of the tactical operation and strategic placement. Draco Malfoy specializes in stealth and recon. Between the two of them, they could plan the entire operation down to minute details.

The building was located in Central Haleburry in London, in the more active parts of the City. Intelligent reports stated that the building was being used to manufacture illegal potions and artifacts and experimenting with various objects to be used for nefarious deeds.

It took them two days to gather all the necessary data: building layout, ins & outs of personnel, guard and security duties and where the Headquarters of Lance Hobbes and Arth Riley, the mastermind of the operation.

The four of them were hunched over what seems to be the Floor plan of the Building. There were 4 floors in total. Most of the operation was being done on the 3rd floor.

"We need to be discrete as possible and incapacitate Hobbes and Riley quickly." Hermione looked at each member of the team with a steel glint in her eyes. "I don't want to have the incident in Wales repeated where we nearly blew up the whole street." This was said in particular to Harry and Ron who were in charge of the Offensive Line who she gave a pointed look to. She was pleased to note that they sported a guilty grin and in Ron's case, pink ears. She pointed to a section on map and directed the others to look. "We will enter here and through the ducting system that will take us directly to the upper floors. Malfoy will go through first followed by you two then I will seal all exits."

She then directed to another part of the Floor Plan consisting of rooms and open spaces. "This place is littered with dark artifacts and experiments. We don't know exactly what we are dealing with here. It is important that I point out to never touch anything - and I mean anything."

"Where are Hobbes and Riley located?" asked Harry squinting through the floor plan. Hermione directed her finger to a section in the plan. "We haven't been able to gather what's inside this room and we need not enter unless necessary. The plan is to lure the two out."

Malfoy this time held out 6 pieces of small black balls, blue balls and red balls to Harry and Ron. "I trust you know what to do with them Weasley." The almost snarky comment is enough for Ron to sprout one of his own but the sharp glance from Hermione has set his mouth shut.

Black Balls for Smoke Screen. Red Balls for Flash Bomb. Blue Balls for Sleeping Gas.

Muggle Equipment designed for concealment and distractions.

It was one of the things that make them unique. Incorporating muggle devices to mask their movements was an idea of Harry and they were the only group that does so. Something which most of their enemies has no clue about and never expected to encounter. Spells has traces on them and each spell has a distinct vibration or signature that may sometimes cause an alarm. They aim to limit as much spell casting during infiltration as to avoid unnecessary confrontation.

Malfoy looked at his watch noting the time: 03:12PM. Not the most optimal time to launch an attack but this is the time each and every target wizard is currently present in the building.

"Let's move in."

Floor Plans were vanished and gears were placed. Each of them covered in Black from the black boots, to black pants and black fitting long sleeve shirts and jackets. Robes were discarded as they will hinder movements. Knives were strapped to their boots, thighs and back. Waist holsters carry potions and emergency healing supplies, the black, red and blue balls as well as random paraphernalia of their own choosing.

They were crouched down on a rooftop overlooking the dreary building. For both muggle and wizards, it looks the same, a decrepit looking old building in moldy chipping green paint that stands between a bakery and a coffee shop who no one bothered to renovate.

It was an excellent arrangement. Who would have thought to have an illegal operation in the middle of a muggle commercial center right in the heart of the city.

"Position" The simple command from Malfoy has changed the demeanor of everyone in the group, from the lackadaisical bearing to alert and vigilant. Eyes set on the task at hand. A nod from Harry and Ron and the two leaped from the roofdeck down to their point of entry. Hermione cushioned their fall to a gradual descent with a simple _"Arresto Momento"_.

Seeing their position on the entry way, Hermione raised a leg on the ledge to begin her descent when a hand touched her right arm. She barely managed to look at the offensive piece of limb when the said hand raised itself to touch her cheek. She couldn't help but gaze at the owner of the hand with a curious stare. Eyes of silvery gray matched her golden brown. Her breathe hitched when an affectionate stroke glaze her cheek. A gentle look crossed his face and she couldn't help but be intrigued on what she supposed to be an internal battle flitting through his mind. Her heartbeat increasing in paced every second that ticks by with the fluttering of her skin where his hand was. She couldn't help but give him a gentle smile to say that everything is going to be fine. A sudden rush of wind tussled the surrounding and the moment was gone.

His face was blank as an empty canvas.

She couldn't dwell on her partner's changing moods now. She willed her heartbeat to calm down and composed whatever nerves plaguing her skin. She needed to focus on their mission and come out unscathed.

A small smile. A slight nod. Then she jumped.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

Their mission consists of two parts according to Hermione. Infiltrate and capture wayward wizards that were an accomplice to the operation and prevent the destruction of property.

Elijah Lynch, the current Auror Office Head, was adamant on the second one. The Office on Research on Experimental Potions as well as the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit and Protective Objects were on standby for the mission completion. Upon apprehension of the criminals, they were to investigate the laboratory as well as the dark artifacts that will be found littering the compound.

The second floor was found empty by Malfoy upon initial assessment. His eyes trained for detection can perceive movements in the dark and his sensitive ears can detect scuffling skulking about. Upon his signal, he met Hermione's eyes giving her a One Finger wave signifying the coast was clear.

They stopped on the crossing by the Duct System that will take them up to the third floor. Hermione then blocked all exits and placed alarms on specific passageways that will alert them if someone attempts to flee.

This was for additional precautions. In their line of work, you can never be too careful and a half-assed job could be a recipe for disaster. It is common knowledge that you cannot apparate on Commercial Muggle City and this will be the downside of their enemy. The whole city is blocked and the only exit is through the designated apparition points.

The only way a wizard can escape is through the Floo Network and Hermione has been disabling the system one floor at a time so as not to alert the occupants of the building. A spell of her own design that tampers the routing system and will enable the wizard to return to his starting point thus disabling his source of escape. It's undetectable and will appear only as a glitch in their network. She wasn't considered to be the brightest witch in this generation for nothing.

Malfoy landed on the third floor followed by Harry and Ron. Hermione covered the back. Through the grills on the ducting system, they could see the activity bustling below the level. Numerous tables littered the floor with what seems to be random ornaments and trinkets and three wizards tinkering them. There doesn't seem to be a pattern on the objects and most of them are common household items. By the back they could see two wizards a witch crouched down on a long table with various vials and one tube emitting a static yellow light.

They could see the long end of the corridor where they knew the unknown rooms reside that holds Hobbes and Riley. They need to lure the two of them out.

It was time for their attack.

Malfoy held his hand with three of his fingers up signifying the countdown. He and Ron positioned themselves by the exit on the other side of the room away from the bulk of the activity. Upon zero, one smoke bomb was released to mask their presence. Black smoke billowed on the floor covering almost the entire area and the group dispersed onto the floor. Goggle Masks were place for visual protection.

Surprised shouts were heard throughout the room. "What the-?! Lavi is this your doing?!"

"Who did this?!" and another "Clear the smoke Lavi!" It would seem that smoke was a common occurrence. This was to the advantage of the Aurors.

The Aurors placed themselves strategically in the Area. Harry and Ron will cover the bulk of the Floor incapacitating the wizards. Malfoy would scour the rooms behind.

As soon as the smoke materialized, Hermione skittered to the Floo Place. Concealing herself on the floors and the shadows, she moved past distracted wizards who were running and waving their wands to dispel the smoke. She was a couple of feet from the floo when she heard a thud and she knew that the boys have started to immobilize the wizards on the floor. Working quickly, wands drawn, she started the chant on the floo before any of the wizards has any clue what was going on.

Yellow light enveloped her wand and a series of lines circled the floo. She noticed that the connection was illegally made and mentally took note to check on who authorized the connections. Working quickly to disable the network, she could see lines upon lines crisscrossing across the floo indicating the network. Sensing the pattern she rapidly found where she will be able to hitch the system and disable the linkage. Upon the final words of the spell, the yellow lines popped and everything settled.

She surveyed the room with eyes darting hurriedly to her comrades. The bright red hair of Ron was the first to jump her vision and was pleased to see that between Ron and Harry, a good number of wizards was already stunned and tied up. She didn't want to rush head first into the fray. Her logical side was analyzing the situation they were controlling so far. She wondered where Malfoy was and if he was able to secure the rooms by the back hall as planned.

Surviving a war has done great things to her reflexes plus the three years of Auror Training. Impeccable senses honed, she could almost always detect casted spells aimed at her. Casting a Shield Charm almost instantly without speaking is almost as easy as breathing. She saw the spell dispersed the moment it hit her shield and her eyes zoned in on three wizards to her left. She didn't think they were a matched to her even with their burly physique. With their doubtful faces, they knew exactly who they're dealing with. She supposed it has to do with numbers. They must have thought they could outsmart her when they outnumber to a fault.

The three wizards spread themselves with two on either side of her readying themselves to battle. She took note of their postures and which would most likely incarcerate at a moment's notice. She suspected they weren't the wizards experimenting on neither the objects nor the ones dabbling in suspicious mixture of potions as they looked far too brawny to have a quarter of a brain. _Guards maybe?_ Whoever they are she needed to dispose of them swiftly knowing that they are working on a limited schedule.

She maneuvered her stance and drew her wand to the side lightly raised. It always pays to wait for the enemies move before drawing her own to gauge their skills and these ones were not even in league of her. She pulled back a step as a spell sped past her left ear. Conjuring a swift shield charm deflected a curse aimed at her but she didn't wait for a moment to attack. She casted a rapid stunning spell on the wizard to her left and easily dodges a set of spells being aimed at her. A quick turnaround and she blasted the wizard to her right while easily summoning a shield charm. _One down._ The wizard she blasted has been knocked cold by the table a good feet away from them. She had an instantaneous thought of the man having a splitting headache when he woke up from the bruise forming on his head.

This time she didn't wait for any one of the two remaining wizard to move first. She sent a quick stupefy to the wizard directly in front of her at the same time advancing forward. A quick duck gave her ample time to roll forward casting a deflecting shield aimed at the wizard to her left. From her position, she pushed herself upward with her right knee raised up to the unfortunately wizard being thrust upon. Her left hand tightly grasped the wizards arm holding him in place and her right knee slammed on the crotch of the unlucky wizard. _I wonder if he'll ever have children._ The slightly humorous thought flitted through her mind as she heard the _sweet_ sound of pain as the man clutched her aching groin.

Absolute pleasure raked through her as she watched the man slid on his knees grasping his crotch and bending his body slightly forward as intense agony was etched on his face and groaning immensely at his pain.

Just as she was about to give the unfortunate wizard a swift roundhouse kick to the head, instincts flared up raising the hairs on the back of her neck. Less than a second later and with a full step back, a spell whiz past her just an inch from her nose almost whispering the air surrounding her skin. Her displeasure took a nosedive and a well-cast full body bind hit the offensive wizard. She watched the body go rigid and the sickening thud of the body getting acquainted with the cold cemented floor reached her ears as she now faced the remaining wizard whose hands were still clutching his busted balls.

Body still strung up from the duel and with no outlet except this unfortunate wizard, she readied her body again to give him the absolute kick he deserves. She clenched her fist around her wand, noting the wariness and the acceptance formed on the wizards face. _It's not like he didn't deserve it._ A slow smirk appeared on her face seeing the pitiful state he was in.

Just as she was about to deliver on this indulgence, a stunning spell hit the man blasting him to hit the wall and slowly slump his way down one floor. "What the-?!" Outraged at being denied the opportunity for retribution, she faced the intruder head on. The smirking face of Draco Malfoy loomed her vision.

"Easier to just hit with a spell isn't it Granger?"

And she could do nothing but drop her head on her hand to stop whatever tirade she knew would pass her mouth. _Calm Down._ Deep breathes, Inhale, Exhale, before facing once again the grin of her extremely annoying partner.

But that did not mean she would not attempt to annoy him to no end. "Really Malfoy?" Her exasperation was obvious from the tone of her voice.

"Really Granger, Can you blame me from wanting to be a gentleman and help a lady in need?"

The statement ticked on her feminist side. Surely he did not just suggest that she was a damsel in distress. She would let him know that SHE is Hermione Granger and she can fight and end her own battles and win. Thank you very much.

She was just about to start her tirade when she spotted Harry and Ron on her peripheral vision topple backwards on a table and almost immediately felt the tremors that cascaded on the floors. Leaning on the walls for stability, she focused on the source of the tremors. It was the activated spell that enables when a person crossed a threshold. A spell that Malfoy casted earlier on that would alert them if anyone enters, or in this case, leaves an area. Once activated, another spell seals the door from where they came. Any spells would be deflected when attempting to undo the charm.

It would seem that Hobbes and Riley have finally graced their presence.

She wondered what they attempted for the charm to cause these tremors.

She felt Malfoy cast a quick _Incarcerous_ on the guards and binded them altogether but her attention fell on Harry and Ron. They were on their feet and leaning on a table for stability before meeting their eyes.

It was time.

Two wizards were no matched from four Aurors but they would take no chances. A single miscalculation may mean Life or Death in their field. Of Winning and Losing.

Hermione watched as Harry and Ron advanced on the Riley and Hobbes with determination in their steps. It was part of their master plan anyway. Hermione would hang back while Malfoy would be the support in the back. This would give her the time to analyze the situation and craft whatever strategy is needed as the circumstance required.

Harry and Ron started their assault of firing spells attempting to subdue the two while blocking whatever spells is being fired at them. Her eyes landed on the cluster of tables scattered on the room.

 _Shit_

"Malfoy, fall back on the left side by the Stairs. Lure the fight away from those potions."

Her strict tone leaves no room for arguments and he was already and positioning himself even before the last words left her lips. He had seen those potions as well. They didn't know what those potions are and one wrong move may mean an explosion. She didn't want another incident like the last one.

Hermione fingered her flash ball. She had to time this right. She didn't expect that Riley and Hobbes were that much competent in dueling- having to hold their own against Three Aurors.

"Code Red!" She yelled at her team members and instantly everyone was on the defensive. Heart pounding and swiftly running to a column where she could conceal herself, she threw the flash bomb on the marble surface and immediately everything was engulfed in blinding light.

Riley and Hobbes didn't expect that kind of attack as the light assaulted their eyes. But as the brightness faded and their visions slowly adjusted, they couldn't find a single trace of the aurors. "Fuck! Where are they?" Riley exclaimed and both he and Hobbes placed themselves on the defensive once again. Slowly they ventured in the open space wands drawn.

They failed to see the shadow that crept up on them. As their heads turned, a blurred shape of black and brown loomed their vision before their bodies were hit with two stunning spells. Riley collided with Hobbes and the two were hurled at the back wall with a sickening thud.

Harry Potter barely smirked at the way the two wizards were sprawled on the floor feeling the immense satisfaction when the wall cracked behind them. A Roguish grin made its way on his lips as he looked down at Hermione who gave him one of her sheepish smiles in return. The extra strong stupefy was cast by her.

They didn't notice that before Hobbes succumb to the inevitable darkness, he made one last ditch effort to conjure a dart and hurled it across the room. He was smiling before he lost consciousness with only these thoughts - _Very few survive that._

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The retrieval team has finished hauling all condemned wizards thru the emergency portkeys organized by their team. It merely took 5 minutes from the signal Harry has given to collect them. Their asses will be detained at the ministry holding cell until such time that enough evidence to convict them has been gathered.

It was during that time that the standby team from Experimental Potions as well as from the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Objects also moved in and began the cleanup. It was organized chaos at its best.

"Hey Guys!" Ron exclaimed enthusiastically as they met on the Ground Floor outside the building. "How about a quick bite before we return to HQ? There's a couple of cafes a few blocks from here right?"

Their job was done the moment the criminals were transported.

"You do realize we had just eaten lunch before we came here right?" the snarky response can only come from one person.

Hermione can only look at her bickering friends as she followed them out on the street. She could see that Harry occasionally joins the jibes of the two but otherwise remains the neutral party. As much as she was amused by the situation and feels the accomplishment of a job well done, she was distracted by what her body was currently experiencing. They were two blocks down when she noticed the changes.

She could feel the fatigue penetrating through her limbs and she had to force each step to move forward. Pained breathing is rising and she could feel her sweat trekking down her neck and forehead. She distinctly wondered what is happening but her thoughts were concentrated on her constraint breathing and the three boys before her. She didn't know how to tell them as she had to focus on staying upright.

They rounded on the corner when her vision doubled and she had to lean on the wall with her right hand as her left hand covered her eyes. She could feel her body heat rising and absently wondered if she inhaled something during their raid. _Malfoy's gonna be so pissed if I did inhale something with all the caution I annoyed them with before._ She thought humorously even with the condition she's been.

She's afraid to move now as she felt that one step would have her be acquainted with the street better. Nausea was seeping in and as she removed her left hand from her eyes to be blinded by the afternoon light and a wave of vertigo washed over her. She suddenly felt a pair of cool hands held her face and neck. She doesn't need to see to know who it was because judging by the musky smell of expensive cologne and the richness of black tea, it was Malfoy. His right hand held her chin up to see her face. His left hand circled on her waist to support her and pulled her closer to him. "Granger, what's wrong?" His voiced muffled on her ears but she could detect the apprehension in them.

She could faintly hear Harry and Ron calling her name as she concentrated on her breathing, her hands now holding on to Malfoy as she lowered her head on his chest.

"I'm dizzy… My head..." She gripped the arms that now held her shoulders as to prevent herself from falling. "It hurts.."

She's aware that she was clutching onto him as tightly as she could. It was all she could do to avoid succumbing to the darkness that was now calling her.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

Draco was already aware of Granger the moment they stepped out into the street. She was quiet and subdued. Far from the usual cheekiness she exhibited when they finished a mission. She appeared to be lost in her thoughts as there was a faraway look in her and she didn't expressed the customary banters they indulged themselves in whenever they got the chance.

Still he didn't thought too much of it as he was distracted in annoying Weasley. Maybe she just had a lot on her mind.

The surprised came when they rounded the street they were in and he saw at the corner of his eyes the moment Granger leaned on the wall for support. It wasn't normal. He abruptly stopped and almost collided with Potter as he took a hasty turn to look at Granger. She has her head hanged down low on her hand and you could see the rise and fall of her shoulders. He swiftly walked towards her and held her face, pushing her body slightly forward making her look at him.

He noticed that her face was flushed red. Her eyes were blazed over and the touch of her skin was hotter than usual. Somehow, he knew that it wasn't from the walking they did. "Granger, what's wrong?"

Potter and Weasley now circled them and calling her name but he was focused on the way she gripped his arms with shaking hands. "I'm dizzy… My head... It hurts-" His heart must have leaped from its cage as he grew frantic. _What the hell happened?_

"Did it start just now?"

"C'mon Malfoy le's get her out of the sun" Harry all but dragged him as he picked up Granger and lifted her up and they made their way down to an alley away from the throngs of people gawking at them. What must they looked like, three men and one carrying an almost unconscious girl.

"Malfoy…" Her eyes were now closed and her voice was feeble and distant. Under a pasty shade they placed her down with half her body still leaning on Malfoy. He immediately unzipped her jacket to release the heat and had Potter helped him removed it from her as they knelt down on her other side and raised the sleeves on her arms. Her breathing was shallow and frantic. He conjured a towel and soaked in cold water and wiped her face to try and alleviate the heat. He felt Potter do the same for her arms.

"Weasley check her stats!" His voice may be calm but his mind was on overdrive. He was recalling everything from the moment they started the raid. Did she inhale something? Did she trip something? Was she hit by a spell? If she was hit by something the effects would have been immediate.

The stats showed that everything was normal except her rising fever. But this was general information, any internal abnormalities would have to be checked by a healer. He looked Potter and Weasley, apprehension displayed on their faces.

"Gu – Guys…" Every head turned to her. Her whispering voice carried the tremble of alarm.

"Hey Mione" Weasley started, his voice carrying the gentleness he normally doesn't have. "You're going to be alright ok"

It was in their apparent relief when a ghost of a smile appeared on her face despite her current condition. There was nothing they could do now except bring her to a healer.

He picked up the towel again to wipe the beads of sweat the formed on her face and neck when his hands bumped on to something on right side of her neck. Swiftly he pushed her hair away and noticed something embedded on her skin just below her ear. His blood ran cold.

"Fuck! Potter!" Fear widely spread now on his voice and the alarm caused Harry to immediately inspect what Malfoy was directing him. "Shit!" he exclaimed as he pulled out the dart that was no longer than 1cm in length. One look and Draco knew right away it was heavily loaded with poison.

They stared at it incredulously. His hand reached out to Potter grasping his arm to pull the poison to him for examination. His insides further froze. "Oh Merlin.. Fuck- This is-" He didn't think it was possible.

"What- What is it?" Weasley all but shouted as he also stared at the dart.

"Smell it" He thrust the arms of Potter back to him. One sniff and his eyes widen to look at him. He knew. He knew only one poison could smell as sweet as honeyed berries and vanilla.

"Belladonna" He said softly as though the effect of fear would lessen.

Belladonna. Nightshade Berries. A fitting name for something to lure you in darkness.

It was then he noticed that Hermione was limp on his arms. "Granger?" He called out to her. At the same time Potter and Weasley was calling on their friends name frantically.

 _Shit. How fast does this poison worked?_ But his logical mind was on hyper drive. _Still, you have to consume at least 10 whole berries before the poison turns fatal for an adult._ His insides squirmed endlessly. He checked for her pulse as fear was gripped him. Thankful as the beat of her pulse echoed on his hands albeit irregularly. They had to get Granger to a Healer fast.

"Rennervate!" Potter's voice borders on desperation and Weasley's attempt echoed but the light of the spell disperses with no effect.

The voices swirled around him as he realized that Granger won't stir. Even his ears can't take enough of the shouting of her name by her two friends. But there was nothing. No stir. No movement. No shifting. Nothing.

She was just lying there as though sleeping. Her breathing even out and there was an almost serene look on her face. He longed to touch her skin just to see if she were real. The events were surreal enough and he was desperately wishing this was just a really bad dream. His nerves were beginning to fray as though pins and needles were pricking him. He didn't think he was capable of being this afraid.

Double checking her vital signs indicates she's healthy enough. Why won't she wake up?

 _Unless there's something mixed in the Poison._ The notion penetrated his thoughts and he looked back down. _Fuck._ Knowledge and understanding on the plant surged through his mind.

 _Belladonna. Deadly Nightshade._ The plant is native to Europe and he was certain anyone could grow them in their backyard. The berries are extremely toxic and it would explain the dizziness, nausea, fever and fast heartbeat. But no amount of toxin would result to coma. Hallucinations yes, but not coma. No, this was the work of something else.

"Potter! Contain that poison! We need to get to St. Mungo's now!"

He quickly heaved himself and positioned Granger on his back to ease his movements. They were in Central District and only one apparition point. The day was going downhill with every second that passed. They couldn't very well return to the raid site. There's no telling if they will be able to acquire a portkey and the floo would still be unconnected. They wouldn't risk returning there just to know that they would have to go back via the apparition point. It's not a risk they were willing to take.

"How far to the apparition point?" He was almost running and he could feel the two just behind him.

Potter cursed loudly as they trudge through the crowded street. "Six blocks from here down at the end of River Street."

They ran and they never dared slow down.

There was a nudge on his brain as though it was telling him that he was missing something. But what? His lessons with his godfather came to mind. He drilled him before on plants and poisons but he was too frazzled to remember them all.

He frowned. There were too many plants that would cause a person to fall into a coma. Oleander, Rhubarb, Daphne, Hydrangea, Jimsonweeds even Apples and every one of them is poisonous. It's possible that one of them was mixed with Belladonna to cause the victim to fall into a deep sleep.

He nearly collided with a woman pushing a carrier by the sidewalk as they turned a corner. Potter almost tripped in a raised cement floor in his haste. He would have laughed at Weasley for crashing on a wooden crate outside a grocery store while avoiding an elderly couple in front of the door if not for the dire situation they found themselves in.

 _Just four more blocks._ A fleeting thought penetrated his mind as he saw a grungy looking man sleeping by the sidewalk. If Hobbes and Riley's aim was to kill, why didn't they use a more fast acting poison like Rosary Pea or Castor Bean or even Aconite. Those are easily accessible. It's not that he was ungrateful that they used a slow acting poison but it was a thought he felt like he should venture into.

Belladonna at its worst would cause paralysis but its effects are treatable with emetic if administered immediately. A bezoar would do the same. They could easily neutralize the toxins as soon as they could Granger to St. Mungo's but what concerned him was the effect of coma.

Belladonna was chosen for a reason. He just needs to find out why. His hold on Granger strengthened. His lungs were already grasping for air from the amount of running they did and with the additional of weight of Granger on his back. But he would not dare stop. Not when he knew every second is crucial.

He gritted his teeth and concentrated on evading every muggle that loitered the street without breaking the speed that he has. _Just a little more._

His temper flared when a large group of overtly raucous muggle teenagers hogged the street they were on playing screechy music and dancing on the heated pavement and shouting at one another for a showdown. What he wouldn't give to just hex every single one of them into oblivion in that moment. Heck, he could see Potter twitching his hand on his wand in his pocket probably thinking the same thing as they passed by the shrieking and screaming teens. If his arms weren't so busy carrying Granger, he would give them something to scream about. Probably conjure a ghost or an apparition in the middle of their dance floor. And he would make sure it would follow them lest they think they were just hallucinating-

 _Wait? What?_ His feet almost stopped on the insinuation. _Hallucinations. Delirium. Holy Fuck-_

His eyes widened at the implication of his thought and he couldn't help but peered at the pale face of Granger. "No…" he couldn't help murmuring as the he picked up the changes on the wind.

 _Salvia. Silverthorn._

"It can't be…" No. He won't believe it. He can't.

The Sage of the Diviners. It can only be found in the isolated mountains of cloud forest in Oaxaca, Mexico. Treacherous to obtain and almost impossible to find. It is famous for one thing only – It induces visions and causes spiritual hallucinations.

Mix it with Belladonna who hits the nervous system of the body and the mind would have been in an altered state of reality.

It felt like he was hit by a really strong stunning spell and crushed under a rock as he suddenly stopped his trek. Panic was already setting in and the only control he got left was his hold on Granger as if slacking his hands would cause her to disappear.

The concerned face of Potter and Weasley loomed on his vision. "Malfoy?" Their voices seemed so far away. He gulped down the nausea and the sting of the realization of his discovery. Strained air passed through him as he struggles to breathe.

"Silverthorn" The toxin found in the base root of Salvia. "It's Silverthorn. Salvia is the other component in the poison." His voice labored and drained as though preventing him from even speaking the words. He didn't need to look at the faces of the golden duo to know how the color drained from their faces.

"How-?" Uncertainty was clear on Potter's voice.

"I'm still not certain but it's the only possible explanation." It may be the only explanation.

He doesn't want to entertain the direction his thoughts were taking. He couldn't. Not when he knew it was almost impossible. This was beyond serious. The situation suddenly became critical if his theory was proven.

 _Fuck it-_ He would not believe it. He refused to even consider it.

Acknowledging it would mean he was about to say goodbye.

/

AN: How was it? Read and Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Nightshade Dreams**

 _By iamgaki_

 **Disclaimer:** Wishing I own Draco Malfoy

Inspired by _The Power of Two Hearts, Chapter 12, by kayjuli_

 **Summary:** Struck by a rare poison that induces sleep during an Auror mission, Hermione has one week to make a choice whether to stay in the world where everything she ever truly wished for is a reality or to come back to everything she has ever known.

 **Rating: T**

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

 **Chapter 2: Illusion of Dreams**

She could hear something.

She extended her senses to fully awaken her hearing and heard the sounds of the birds chirping outside and a low rumbling that vibrates throughout her surroundings. She could smell the crisp morning dew and somehow the light from the open window made her clenched her still closed eyes to avoid the pouring sunlight and groaned. She grabbed the pillow she knew was on her right side and smothered her face in to avoid the light and was assaulted by the smell of fresh laundry. These things reminded her of home. She snuggled down into the covers guessing that it was still very early in the morning as her alarm hasn't rung yet and reminded herself just five minutes more before getting up.

 _Just five more minutes._

The bed she was in was comfortable. Too comfortable. It's as if she'd slept in it countless of times before.

 _Wait._

She IS familiar with its touch.

Her eyes flew open and quickly sat up on the bed. Maybe too quickly as her head was washed with dizziness all of a sudden and the room spun before her. Covering her eyes with her arm, she laid down the covers to ease the wooziness a little before sitting back up. She stared at the bed below her. _It really is my bed!_

 _How? When?_

The last thing she remembered was holding onto Malfoy when a wave of vertigo hit her after their mission. No – wait. She crunched her brows as she distinctly remembered being carried away from the gawking people and Harry and Malfoy trying to cool down her fever.

A smell of something sweet and everything darkened.

They must have brought her back. Although, why, for the life of her, did they brought her to her childhood home. Is there something going on at Grimmauld Place?

She and Ron decided to live with Harry for a while in Grimmauld Place after the war. The house was desolate in itself and she worries what it will do to Harry if left alone.

Loneliness is an enemy not easily defeated.

Dread covered her when she saw all her belongings scattered throughout the room. All her books were in her shelf, her table was covered in stacks of papers, clothes hung on the door of her closet, her boots lay by the door and what made her jaw dropped further was the way all her stuff did not seemed to have been transported from Grimmauld Place. The room was very much lived in.

 _What's going on?_

Walking across the room, she stopped on her closet examining the clothes hanged on the door. The red plaid long sleeves polo she normally wore on slow days stared back at her as if daring her to say it wasn't hers. It was. She knew where she bought it and she knew Harry and Ron had something similar when they feel like being Gryffindorish on an off day just for the hell of it. A tiny smile made its way on her lips as she remembered giving Malfoy a similar one in Green during Christmas two years ago to match. His comment that day made her laugh. That they'd be Christmas every time in those clothes with her in Red and him in Green. And it was said in the most drawling tone she had ever heard.

The thought cheered her up a little.

She opened her closet door and every clothes she ever wore was in there. Her old school uniform on the far corner, work clothes in the middle, jeans and shorts stack together at the bottom. The bottom drawer she knew would house her underwear and socks. _How in the world-?_ She knew her clothes were at Grimmauld place. In the closet with the built-in mirror who does nothing but annoy her in her fashion choices.

She must be dreaming. There isn't any explanation for this.

Drawing herself away from her closet, she resolutely scrutinized her room. She landed on her bookshelf and the confusion grew. She remembered every book she has ever owned, given or bought and what baffled her was the number of irregularities that she now does and doesn't possess. She doesn't remember ever buying the Brass & Pewter: Advance Potions Brewing or Legislative Guide to the Proper use of magic. Comparably, she was missing The Healer's Helpmate and Alchemy, Ancient and Science.

How utterly perplexing.

A contemplative thought crossed her mind as she watched her window drapes flutter gently in the wind. The only way to wake one up is to shock her system. Normally that involves dying but she doesn't want to take that route down. A pinch would probably suffice.

As silly as it sounds, she knew she doesn't have anything to lose. Closing her eyes, she pinched herself at her side. Hard. The pain did shock her but not to the extent she expected. And all she got was a bruise which she rubbed down to try to alleviate the pain.

 _Well, there goes the pinch theory. Does she have to jump from a building now?_ Hopefully it won't come to that. She would have to channel every Gryffindor Bravery she has to even attempt to jump from a building or from a broomstick deliberately with the intent of dying.

She shuddered at the thought.

There was no use dallying in her room anymore. She would have to investigate if she ever wanted to learn how she got here.

A quick hot shower in her connected bathroom cleared her head and eased up the tension in her shoulders she did not notice before and given the circumstance, she wore the plaid shirt as a testament to her channeling her courage.

Her wand now intact in the pocket of her jeans, she marched towards her door, all the time thinking that her first stop would be to learn what day it is. She knew the raid happened on a Friday and with the incident that happened after, she wasn't certain how long she was out cold.

She was wondering the amount of paperwork she knew she had to do for the job order completion of their mission as it would be futile to leave it on the three boys when she happened to glimpsed on collection of photos on her mantel by her wall.

At first, she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. She didn't gave it much thought earlier as the photos from before she left the house was her and her parents, of her as a child, her birthdays or the holidays. She hasn't been able to update the photos and it was usually her parents who changed them due to the impending war she found herself drawn in when she was at Hogwarts.

Now, she was looking at the photo of herself with her best friends, the three of them wrapped around one another with big smiles on their faces. It was taken during the triwizard tournament and it was the first sign that something extremely insane happened.

Trepidation hit her as she grabbed the photo for a closer look, nose almost touching the photo. There they were, hugging, jumping and celebrating as Harry waved the Triwizard Cup in his hands. A sure sign that he emerged as the champion of the tournament.

 _Impossible._ She knew the events that happened on that day. She knew how broken and lost Harry was when he dragged himself out of the pitch with the body of Cedric in his arms. She would never ever forget that haunted look in his face as long as she was alive. _So how come-?_

Deep Breathes passed through her lips before she looked at the other photos. There was a photo of Ron and Harry playing Wizards Chess by the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room, of her lounging by the tree in the Hogwarts Grounds near the Black Lake, her sitting on the Couch at Grimmauld Place obviously sleeping and leaning on Harry, of the three of them at the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch as Harry was mounting his Firebolt, herself while leaning on a railing looking down smiling, of the three of them and Malfoy just as they were accepted to Auror Training, of her and Malfoy glaring at one another with Ron laughing at the background, a snapshot of her and Malfoy on a café having coffee and cake.

What surprised her was the content of the photos themselves. It seemed like the world was painted a thousand colors as the contentment and happiness just radiates from each smile in each frame.

The sad thing was each and every one of them she knew just did not happen.

Tears were already forming on her eyes as she bit back the sobbed lodged in her throat with her hand. Looking at the photos again and the tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She could not really explain why she was crying there. Looking at Harry and the happiness he exude, it was the one wish she truly hoped to be granted. For Harry to be given the happiness he deserved for all the wrongness that happened to him.

She placed the picture she was holding carefully back on the mantel and she noticed another picture at the back. It was the three of them and Ginny celebrating, with Harry, Ron and Ginny in their Quidditch Robes and her in just a shirt and jeans. What captured her attention was not the fact that all four of them was jumping and shouting and waving as Harry held the Quidditch Cup during their 7th year, what made her breathe lodged on her lungs was the image of herself with raised arms, and the bare forearm of her left arm exposed for the world to see.

Her eyes widened at the realization as she quickly raised the sleeves on her left arm.

No _mudblood_ was etched on her skin.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

"How is she?" It was the first words out of his mouth as he entered the room.

Potter could only looked back at him with solemn eyes as he gave a slow shake of head indicating that nothing has changed.

The day they arrived at St. Mungos, Granger was immediately whisked away towards the third floor at the center for Potions and Plants Poisoning. They were forbidden in entering the ward and were advised by the healers to wait in the room they prepared for her.

They waited for hours before Granger was brought in. One look at the Healers face and they knew that the diagnosis wasn't good. They weren't sure they were even prepared for it.

"The poison is currently being tested by the research department. Right now there is nothing we can do with Ms. Granger until we hear word from them. The good news is that her condition is stable."

They could only nod at the Healer. They didn't know what to make of this. He didn't know how to process his words. He could only looked at Granger lying on the bed as the Healer left the room saying he'll be back later. Potter already dragged a chair to her bedside and held her right hand with both of his as a source of comfort that she was still there.

A thousand thoughts were running through his mind, different scenarios were playing and every one of them as unlikely and heart wrenching as the next. Everything was a stalemate.

He couldn't move at all.

"Sweet Merlin Potter, Did you actually slept at all?" He did not mean for his tone to sound as harsh as it did but the eerie eye bags gracing his forlorn face unnerved him. He himself hasn't managed to get enough hours of sleep. He spent ages tossing and turning in his bed with thoughts of Granger plaguing him. It's a wonder he even slept at all.

Potter just groaned at him and rubbed his eyes before closing them and leaning on the bed. "Couldn't sleep."

A loved one in the hospital would do that for you. He would have stayed in the Hospital Room if not for his mother waiting for him. After the war, he made it a point to always return home as much as possible to avoid worrying his mother. With Lucius in Azkaban, it was only the two of them at the manor. He would have taken his mother out of there if not for her wanting to stay. She said it was their house and it was the only home he knew. He didn't even try to dispute that not wanting to upset her.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Where's Weasley?"

"I asked him to drop by the Auror office to ask for a week off for us."

That was considerate of him. He didn't think they could work considering the circumstance they found themselves in. It's a good thing he already did the paperwork yesterday before going home. As long as they have the complete report, he imagined Lynch wouldn't hesitate to give them time off.

They earned it.

A loud sigh escaped him as he sat on the chair on the other side of the bed and looked at Granger. You would have mistaken her for just sleeping but they knew better.

"Any word from the healers?" He was anxious if they managed to verify their theory.

"I was told that Healer Ray would be coming back this morning"

He gave a noncommittal grunt and leaned back on the chair. He was contemplating getting coffee to survive the morning but he didn't want to risk missing the Healer.

He didn't know how many times he exhaled deeply and run his hands on his hair which may as well be as unkempt as Potter's as of the moment. The morning dragged on and he was tempted to pace the floor. He didn't know how long until he throw something just to alleviate this anxiety.

The door finally opened nearing 11:00 and Healer Ray came in holding a couple of rolls of parchment. He nodded to the two of them before checking the stats of Granger where it still showed almost the same readings.

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter," He started before pausing as if processing how to continue. "It would seem that you were correct that the poison contains Belladonna and Salvia. Here is the copy of the report from our Resident Potioneer."

He handed the parchment to the two of them but did not yet read the content. They were waiting for the prognosis.

"May I presume that you both are aware of the effects of the two of those plants?" They nodded at him and Draco was wondering where he was headed with this.

The healer sighed deeply and looked at them straightly. "She's under the Dark Sleep."

Upon those words Draco shot out of the chair he was sitting on. "You mean to say-?"

"Yes" Those words of confirmation nearly wilted him. It left behind any hope that he was wrong and for once this was the time he hoped to be mistaken. He grimaced and the sinking feeling of dread materialized quickly on what it implies.

His face must have shown his despair as Potter questioned the Healer what it means.

"You have to understand Mr. Potter that, separately, the two plants are easily treated. However, combine the two and you have an extremely terrifying poison. Ms. Granger right now is currently experiencing the full effects of Salvia but not the regular hallucinations it causes, no. The dreams manifested are the deepest darkest desires of her heart. She's experiencing a life where everything she ever truly wished for is a reality."

"She's what?" Potter nearly shouted as he stood up and faced the Healer. "Surely there must be a cure?"

The Healer could only shake his head. "While a regular poison could be extracted from the body, a poison that directly affects the brain is risky when tampered with. A slight mistake would cost her life or her sanity."

"How do we wake her up then?" Potter was getting desperate and his voiced was laced with panic. He was slowly grasping how dire the situation Granger was in.

"You can't." It was Draco who answered. He learned of the Dark Sleep under the tutelage of Severus Snape when he was studying the poisons and toxins of various plants back in the darkest times of his life. Grateful now of the lessons for the extensive knowledge he had acquired.

"What do you mean? Shell sleep forever?!"

"The body won't be able to handle it. She only has 7 days from the time the poison struck her to wake up else the poison will run its course." It's a wonder how his voice managed to stay calm when every word out of his mouth tears him apart. "She has to want to wake up before her 7 days is up."

It felt like someone casted a silencing charm in the room after that statement. He himself didn't know what more they could do but to wait.

Healer Ray has taken his leave and informed them he will return later to check Granger and to call him if there are any changes. Draco knew it was only the usual words committed to memory as he left the patient that made him say it. A force of habit. They both knew no definite changes will occur until the 7th day came.

He faced Potter who looked like he was about to cry. He never knew he could feel sympathy to him but knowing that Granger was the sister he never had, the family he considered though not of blood, he understood why he felt that way.

"It's hopeless." Potter's voiced shook with desolation he never could associate with him before.

 _What the fuck-?_

"Are you seriously saying that Potter?" Contempt was obvious in his voice. How the hell could Potter even think that?

"The deepest desires of her heart- why would she want to wake up from that."

The statement shook him. "How dare you!" Anger laced his voice as he clenched his fist.

"You know that poison! Tell me! What are the chances that anyone will want to wake up from a dream like that? How many even woke up from that?!"

He suddenly crossed the room to grab Potter on his shirt, his nose almost touching his. "Don't you dare give up on her you fucking idiot!" His menacing scowl graced his face as he tightened his hold on the-boy-who-he-will-likely-kill. "How the fuck can you believe that? You asshole! She hasn't given up yet so don't you dare say you have!"

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

Hermione believed that the only way to get answers was to talk to Harry.

She may be in a dream but if there's one thing she knew that would never change, it would be Harry. He was family.

"Harry?" She called as she entered Grimmauld Place.

The change in décor was obvious to her. It would be impossible not to notice when she lived there for a few years now. Well she lived there, she wasn't sure if she does still. The dreary grey and brown walls were now in warm cream. The once dull brown carpet was now in rich green. Gone were the numerous cobwebs and almost-impossible-to-remove dusts that covered the ceilings.

Of course there are still some things that remained the same, the covered portrait of Walburga Black and the row of House Elf heads.

But no matter the change, she still considered it home.

"Mione? In the kitchen." The voice of Harry called to her.

She followed the path to the kitchens all the while thinking how to broach the subject of this dream of hers. He would think she must be getting mad.

She saw Harry still in his bed clothes and hair more ruffled than usual but the cheeky grin he gave her made her smile at him in return.

"Hey Harry" She said as she gave him her usual hug where she get a kiss in the cheek in return from him.

"What's up? You normally don't visit this early and on a Saturday no less." That answered her question on what day it was and the statement cemented her assumption that she didn't really live there. _How peculiar._ And she wondered who did the décor of the house. She was sure Harry doesn't know how and don't have the patience for Interior Decorating.

"I.. uh.." Well it was a start wasn't it? She humored herself as she twirled the loose curls of her hair hanging from her shoulders. "Harry, please don't think of this as odd. Can you tell me why I don't live here?"

Confusion painted on his face as his eyebrows shot up to his hair and she hoped against hope he wouldn't laughed at her. The question did indeed sound strange even to her.

To her surprise, the confusion was replaced with understanding and he gave her his comforting smile. "Oh Mione," he started to led her to the dining table. "Here sit down for a moment while I get you a cup of tea and I'll just finish cooking the eggs and bacon. We'll talk over breakfast."

Breakfast sounds good. Come to think of it, she hasn't eaten anything since she woke up and she could now feel the spasm of hunger rumbling through her. "Let me get the tea Harry."

The smell of Earl Grey wafted through her as she leant back on the counter while holding the cup with both hands and watching Harry transfer the eggs to a plate. This was familiar and calming. She couldn't count the number of times they did this, with Harry cooking breakfast, a task he was deeply acquainted with due to the years at the Dursleys, and she and Ron helping set the table or getting tea. Sometimes it would her that was cooking, mostly dinner. Or when all three of them are exhausted, they let Kreacher do the cooking. They wouldn't trust Ron in the kitchen unless they want their food burnt.

That reminds her, "Where's Kreacher?" she asked.

"Oh, he's cleaning the attic right now. A couple of dust mites decided to cause havoc last night when the box they were in toppled over."

Harry was almost finished with the bacon when a familiar voice cut through the silence that made her blood freeze. "Harry, the boxes are in the drawing room –"

But she didn't hear the rest of the words as the sleepy face of Sirius Black entered the kitchen with a big yawn.

A voice she didn't think she would ever hear again or the face she didn't think she would ever see again.

She didn't register the cup she was holding slipped past through her fingers or the way the scalding tea splashed all over the floor.

Or the tea cup breaking into a thousand pieces that shattered at her feet.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

"Draco, dear, will you be joining me for dinner?" His mother asked on the doorway of the Library he was currently holed in.

Stacks of books littered the floor, some were opened, others were scattered out of order. Parchments upon parchment of studies were strewn across the table as were heaps of tomes. Draco was in the middle of all of it.

He sighed as he heard his mother's voice. "Yes Mother. Give me 10 minutes and I'll be down." He said as he closed the book he was holding with a snap.

He opted to leave everything as it was before exiting the Library as he was sure he'll be back after having dinner with his mother.

Potter had filled Weasley with the details on Granger by the Third Day. As expected, Weasley didn't take the news well and nearly threw a Tantrum at the Healer and Potter has to physically restrain him before deflating as the words sunk in. He couldn't help but shook his head at the display.

He was a firm believer that there is always a solution to a problem. He refused to accept that they would just sit by and wait. He doesn't work that way. Heck he was sure Granger would have found every topic she could find on the matter if she was—

No, he shook his head. They would have to do this for her. His logical reasoning and deductive skills are on par with Granger. He wasn't the second brightest student at Hogwarts for nothing.

"Potter, you have books in your Library at your home." He said. "Find everything you can on the Dark Sleep. I'll do the same in the manor." His bossy attitude was a reminiscent of her. She should be the one doing this.

They would have to take rounds on watching Granger.

Tonight, it was Weasley's turn.

He was hoping Potter would have found something by now as he couldn't find even a mention of the poison in his collection.

By the Dining Room, he found his mother sitting on the far right of the dinner table. "Mother," He greeted her as he kissed her cheek before he chose to sit across the table from her. It was a silent understanding that the head of the table was still reserved to his Father as the head of their house and would continue to be so until he relinquish that title to him.

"Young Mister Malfoy. Mistress." Their house elf greeted before lading food on the table and leaving them to their dinner.

Dinner usually consisted of small talks between them. How the roses in the garden was doing, how taxing his job was, how her friends visited her at afternoons for tea. This time he chose to stay silent and let his mother begin their conversation. He has a feeling she has a lot of inquiries lately seeing as the time spent with her son was less than usual the past of couple of days.

"Draco, how is Astoria doing?" He resisted the urged to groan. Of all the topics to be brought up, it was of Astoria.

"As well as I hope she should be Mother" He said hoping that his mother would drop the topic.

"Well why don't you invite her for tea tomorrow? I understand you have the week off. And all you do lately is hole yourself up at the Library."

"Mother please. Now is not the right time for your matchmaking."

He didn't know when his Mother had gotten the idea that Astoria Greengrass would be the ideal partner for him. A pureblood, she said, is still the perfect wife for a Malfoy and Astoria, as her mother believed, is the epitome of that. Pureblood, impeccable lineage, poised and a perfect embodiment of a lady. Of course she was those on the company of his Mother.

What her mother didn't know was that, Astoria was the archetype of a whiny and spoiled rich brat who he could not afford to have a decent conversation without her giggling madly. Their talks consisted of the dress she wore, or where she bought her shoes or what she was doing or where she's going for the holiday. Being with her will make anyone's brain cells disintegrate to a crisp and he chose to exit at the earliest convenience.

He shuddered at the thought if he was to spend the rest of his life with someone like her.

As revolting as her company was, he still acted as the gentlemen he was taught to though seldom use. Maybe he should surrender to his innate callous self and see if he could scare her away.

He doubted his mother would be pleased.

"Astoria is a perfectly nice lady," his mother stated and he almost scoffed at her words. "I don't know how you could manage to resist proposing to her when you are perfect for one another." At this he snorted.

"Really Draco that's rude." His mother chastised him.

"Mother where did you manage to get that idea?"

"You spend time with one another. Of course I'll take notice."

He groaned and rubbed his temples to try to evade the headache that was sure to come. Trust his mother to forget the details.

"Mother- Of course I spend time with her. You forget it was you who literally forced me to. At your insistence, I took her as my date to the annual ministry gala, to your Christmas Party, you demand I accompany her shopping at Diagon Alley or to take her out to tea or dinner."

"But-"

"But no Mother, really. Please. I had enough of her. She's terrible. I can't even manage to hold a conversation without me cringing. I just agreed to spend time with her because you want me to."

His Mother sighed. "Of course. I'm sorry. I'm only thinking of what's best for you."

"Let me worry about my love life mother. No need to concern yourself with it." And he had enough on his plate right now than worry about his non-existent love life as well.

He was almost sure that his mother dropped the subject as she did not speak for a few minutes. For that moment he managed to eat his dinner in relative silence.

Until his mother asked a question that had him choking on his food. "Was the sex bad?"

"Mother!" Oh Merlin, did she really asked him that? He mouth gaped at her. As much as he would like to swear, his mother would bonk him in the head if he does. "Have you lost your blooming mind?"

"I know you my son. You never passed up the opportunity with women. Don't think I haven't noticed the number of women you brought to your wing on some nights." She raised an eyebrow at him as if daring him to contradict her words.

Sweet Salazar. Was he really having this conversation with his mother?

"Mother, Please don't be crass." He whined. "When was the last time I brought someone home? That was more than a year ago. And to answer your question, No- I did not have sex with Astoria. God, I wouldn't dare to. I'm not even tempted. She'll be clingier if that happened."

He's not sure how long he could endure this conversation without melting in his seat. He loves his mother but there are some things he just did not wish to share.

"Can we not continue this discussion Mother?" He pleaded. He would beg if he had to. He wouldn't be able to live the embarrassment.

His mother just smiled at him and he was not sure what that meant. But as long as they avoid this kind of talk again, he wouldn't question it.

"Any changes on Ms. Granger?"

They resumed their talk on the condition of Granger, what the healer said, what they're doing, what they're hoping to find. The pressure was coming back as he was reminded that he hasn't found anything on the subject of the poison yet.

He talked. He figured that maybe talking to his mother he would be able to alleviate the strain on his shoulders that they only have 4 days left. He talked of the poison and what their characteristics are. He talked on the prognosis on Granger. He talked on how Potter was doing and how he was coping which wasn't much. He talked of his fears, his doubts, his worries and the anxiety that they wouldn't be able to help. That he wouldn't be able to help. That for all the saving that Granger did to him, he wouldn't be able to pay it back somehow.

And for all his talk, between his sneers and snides that he usually shows, the truth was, he's afraid to fail Granger.

He told all of this to his Mother. And she listened.

What baffled him was the gentle smile his mother directed at him.

"Like I said, I know you son." She said when the confusion became apparent on his face. "You don't lose sleep over someone who isn't worth staying awake for."

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

"I know I looked hideous in the morning Hermione" said Sirius laughing. "But blimey, that was just extreme don't you think?"

"Oh God," She was utterly perplexed now as she hid her face in her hands. "Somebody tell me that this really is a dream."

She didn't see how Sirius looked at Harry with his eyebrows raised, the same way Harry had earlier. Harry could only nod his head at his Godfather.

"C'mon Mione" Harry directed her to the dining seat again and set her another cup of tea before placing the breakfast plate on the table. She stared at the swirling tea feeling numb. She could feel Harry rubbing her back willing her to stay calm. She wasn't an emotional person but the events had her control slipping past the breaking point. And she just- she needed-

She suddenly stood up and launched herself at Harry hugging him to his life's worth and burrowing her face in his shirt. He smelled of fresh soap and entirely Harry that made her want to pretend that nothing was ever amiss and she was just returning home from the day's work. She didn't know when the tears started to fall but the sob she let emitted made her realize that she longed for the normalcy that wouldn't made her question her sanity.

"I'm sorry Harry…" She sobbed into his shirt and Harry just tightened his hold on her. "I just- It's just that… seeing Sirius…" She didn't know how to continue. She didn't know how to tell how to tell him that in her world, Sirius was already gone. And seeing him this time, with Harry, made her wished desperately that what she was seeing was the reality.

For Harry to have that one person to call as family by his side.

There was soothing motion at her back that was calming her down and she realized it was Sirius who was attempting to comfort her. "Hey there princess," he smiled at her consolingly as he lodged her out of Harry's embrace and wiping her tears with his hands. "Did you have one of those vivid dreams again?"

 _Vivid Dreams?_

That instantly dried her tears as she blinked owlishly at them. She was having vivid dreams?

Harry redirected her again to the dining chair and sat down beside her continuing to rub her back for her comfort. Sirius set the table for their breakfast and sat across from them motioning her to eat. She didn't think she could at the moment.

"This isn't the first time this happened." Harry said as he was filling her plate with food. "Every now and then you have dreams where everything is in contrast. Like a parallel world but the events differs."

Thankfully, her inquisitive mind still preceded everything else for her and it put her logical thinking forward. "How did it come about? How often do I have this…" She hesitated slightly, "dreams?"

"It was during 6th year on Potions Class. You were hit with a really strong but unstable Dream Potion. You should have seen Snape's face. He was livid." Harry grimaced at the memory. "Normally you have twice per year. This is the first time you had one this year. We were actually wondering when you'll dream again as it was past the normal time."

"How come I don't remember my life here?"

"You will," Sirius injected with bacon still hanging on his mouth. Thankfully he finished the bacon before continuing. "Give it a few minutes princess. You're still in shock that's why the memories aren't surfacing."

That was instructive. And the rational part of her mind seconded the explanation. It would explain everything then, her home, the events in school, Sirius. But still, there was a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that she was missing something.

Sirius rose and swirled her chair to face him. "Close your eyes and clear your mind Hermione." He instructed and she did so trustingly. "Inhale and exhale. Get your rhythm."

She withdrew from her pondering and concentrated on breathing. In, out, in, out. It was as though a dam had broken through her conscience. She suddenly has these memories where everything was as clear as crystalline waters.

They were rushing past through her barriers as though wanting to be acknowledged by her. There were parallels but so many things were different – like losing the house cup to Slytherin on her first year. Catching Peter Pettigrew on their third year and being convicted as death eater. Harry being chosen as the Hogwarts Champion and winning the triwizard tournament. Harry & Ron on the Quidditch Pitch and winning the Quidditch Cup. His parents being extremely proud of him-

His parents? Her eyes flew open and stared at Harry bewildered. "Your parents?" and Harry just smiled at her encouragingly.

She remembered. Harry wasn't the Chosen One. He wasn't the-Boy-who-lived. Voldemort was killed before Harry was born. There were no Horcruxes. No Jinx DADA Position or Chamber of Secrets. No Dementors or Secret Defense Meetings. No Lightning Scar.

He was just Harry. A boy who grew up on Godrics Hollow with his parents. He was here at Grimmauld Place to be closer to work and to accompany Sirius in his home. He had his family.

There was no war. No hunting for Horcruxes. No tortures.

No mudblood scar.

She felt like crying again when she realized all of that. There was still a lot to sort through but those swimming in the surface of her mind were enough.

Was it really true? Everything that happened was just a dream? Then who is she? What made her Hermione?

Sirius patted her head and smiled at her comfortingly. "You'll be fine now. Give it a few hours and everything will set." He nodded at Harry and said, "It would be best to call Mr. Malfoy."

 _Malfoy?_

Her eyes widen at the onslaught of memories and her heart took a sudden leap.

"Don't worry about your dreams Princess." Sirius said knowingly with a twinkle in his eyes. "You'll forget everything in a few hours."

Harry's Stag Patronus pranced around the room before vanishing in a wisp of smoke.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

AN: Thanks for Reading! How was it?


	3. Chapter 3

**Nightshade Dreams**

 _By iamgaki_

 **Disclaimer:** Wishing I own Draco Malfoy

Inspired by _The Power of Two Hearts, Chapter 12, by kayjuli_

 **Summary:** Struck by a rare poison that induces sleep during an Auror mission, Hermione has one week to make a choice whether to stay in the world where everything she ever truly wished for is a reality or to come back to everything she has ever known.

 **Rating: T**

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

 **Chapter 3: The Heart's Desire**

Lynch and Kingsley had disrupted their routine early Wednesday morning to inform them that Hobbes and Riley had been acquitted. The three of them were invited to watch the interrogation but knowing that it would mean losing valuable time of their research, they opted not to go. Besides, they knew they wouldn't learn anything from them to help Granger.

Both Riley and Hobbes were to be held prisoner for Life and maybe subjected to the Dementor's Kiss. They were tried for illegal use of potions, illegal use of magical artifacts and manslaughter.

"Manslaughter?" Draco couldn't help but questioned.

"Yes" Lynch said. "I'm sorry to say but this wasn't the first time they administered the Nightshade poison. They confessed, though using veritaserum, that they inflicted the poison on muggles and wizards alike. There were 7 muggles in total and none survived. Muggle authorities have ruled the case as drug overdose."

A copy of the report was left on their hands.

It was on the 5th day when he found something. He was distracted by Blaise accidentally tipping a large tome on Ancient Rituals and the book bouncing on his feet that he didn't noticed right away what he was scouring on.

Blaise has offered whatever help he could provide in helping him find what he was looking for. Of course that involves countless hours of perusing the library books and he was grateful for the extra hand. Sometimes in the dead of the night he would found Blaise snoring away in one corner, a pair of open book in his hand. A smirk would appear on his face as he watched his friend drool on the floor. He could only shake his head and would summon a blanket for him as he continues his search.

His amusement increased when another book toppled over the head of Blaise and he gave a loud yelp. He was on the verge of laughing when Blaise noticed him smirking. "Go on laugh it up. I like to see you smile when a book decided to imitate being a bludger and maul you." He scowled at him and the laugh did escape from his mouth. It was a reprieve from all the tension building from the room.

"You're such a moron." He teased. "I believe there are books that would try and be a snake just to bite you."

"Fuck you"

He couldn't help but snigger at that. "Didn't know you want me. All you have to do is ask." Blaise just gave him the finger and returned to re arranging the fallen books.

He returned to his part of the shelf and found that his hand was holding a small journal lodged between tattered tomes of Talismanic Magic and Grimoire of the Fae. Its cover was old black leather and the pages were all but frayed but the script italic writings were clear in black ink. He was just scanning the journal when the word sage and salvia passed his eyes.

It was from a 17th century Spanish Potions Master by the name of Manolo Joaquin y Posada and few of his logs were records of his findings on the dark sleep. It was set in the time the Spaniards had colonized Mexico.

How the journal came to be in their possession, he didn't know but he knew that the Malfoys of the old times tend to associate themselves with charismatic individuals and may have acquired the journal through their connections.

The entries were in Spanish but it was nothing a quick translation spell couldn't do.

Draco set himself by the lounge chair in the library and immediately read the entries. Information is information and it may be the key to helping Granger. They were running out of time and they were getting frantic. Potter nearly ransacked and toppled the whole Library of Grimmauld Place in his desperation and panic.

/

 _21 February 1658_

 _Cloud Forest, Sierra Juarez_

 _Oaxaca, Mexico_

 _I manage to acquire myself the divine plant Salvia. The shamans called it the plant of the sages. It was a perilous trek and took me almost two weeks of tramping through the mountains. If not for the moon which glowed the path I am on, I would not have found it. Such peculiar looking plant. The flowers were violet and blooms upwards pointing to heavens. But the moonshine makes it glow red._

 _It was fortunate that the time I found the plant was the night when the moon rises full. In my examination of the plant, I found an odd looking thorn by the roots which glowed silver in moonlight. I plucked a handful for examinations as the light permits. By the next night, there were no traces of that silver thorn._

 _It is my conclusion that the silver thorn only grows on the night of the full moon._

 _Manolo Joaquin y Posada_

 _/_

 _15 April 1658_

 _Teotihuacan, Mexico_

 _Magnificent. An extract from the leaves mixed in water would leave the drinker in psychedelic state for a few minutes. My assistant, as he has experienced, has had visions. He believed them to be the work of God._

 _Would increasing the quantity prolong the hallucinogenic visions?_

 _I simply must learn of the potency and the true qualities that the plant possesses._

 _Manolo Joaquin y Posada_

 _/_

 _10 July 1658_

 _Teotihuacan, Mexico_

 _I must be careful in my brewing. It would not do me good if they were to found me concocting suspicious looking potions else I will be subjected to the inquisition. For now they were to believe it's for medicinal research._

 _Such is the price I pay for working closely with non-magical people._

 _I manage to brew a potion whose mixture involves the crushed petals of the flowers. Its effect was marvelously stunning. The visions, if my assistant was to be believed, were of riches and gold and heaps of jewelry. He was ecstatic and believed it to be the future. I haven't the heart to tell him it was simply a dream._

 _I must explore the wonders of these plants more. And the silver thorn is most extremely intriguing. But I must be careful for I only have a handful of pieces in my possession._

 _Oh how I long to return back time and pluck a few more._

 _Manolo Joaquin y Posada_

 _/_

 _28 October 1658_

 _Teotihuacan, Mexico_

 _The City is already established and my work here is almost done. I hoped to return to my hometown before the year ends but I was told that the next trip to Spain will be in a month's time and the voyage takes 60 days. I must bade farewell to these lodging who housed me these past two years._

 _I acquired quite a number of ingredients I am simply dying to use. Most of these not available in my City. I must remember to procure more than necessary for I fear it would take months for me to replenish my supplies._

 _I had hoped to be able to test the Salvia mix with belladonna and opium within a fortnight after the celebration of Dia de Los Muertos. It was said that the two are used by witches help them fly to gatherings. Was it simply hallucinations? I am most excited on the results._

 _Manolo Joaquin y Posada_

 _/_

 _07 November 1658_

 _Teotihuacan, Mexico_

 _Opium was an ill-choice of ingredient for it causes nightmares instead of dreams. My poor assistant has been terrified to sleep for days and I've brewed him a Dreamless Potion to help him sleep._

 _Belladonna is a promising ingredient for its muscle relaxing attributes. I hoped to test this with a patient who is experiencing inflammation tomorrow as he is already delirious with pain. I hoped the salvia would be able to help him sleep as we cure him._

 _Manolo Joaquin y Posada_

 _/_

 _11 November 1658_

 _Teotihuacan, Mexico_

 _Something is wrong with the mixture and I fear it would cause my patient to lose his life. He has been sleeping for 3 days now. A few more days and the body will shut down on its own. I am most concerned on the outcome of the potion as I fear it was what caused him to remain asleep. It may also be just the natural progression of his pain due to his sickness._

 _The family does not want me to further examine the patient as they believed it was what God has planned for him. Blasphemous I say. I have the means to save him and yet these people hope for miraculous intervention._

 _It's what their God wants._

 _Manolo Joaquin y Posada_

 _/_

 _16 November 1658_

 _Teotihuacan, Mexico_

 _I'm sorry to say that the man has passed on the seventh day. I hope not to use the potion again for I fear it was what caused his demise. My assistant has advised that we used rats for testing. It may be the only way for me to continue my research. I am most certainly intrigue on what is happening in these dreams that the mind has induced. If only I had the means to see._

 _In a weeks' time I would be journeying back to my beloved hometown. Hopefully in there I would be able to find safer means of testing. I may ask my cousin who knew a mind reader to help me understand what the mind sees during the moments of hallucination._

 _It may be the key to unlocking the secrets of these plants._

 _Manolo Joaquin y Posada_

 _/_

"Holy Sweet Salazar! This is it!"Draco suddenly stood up as he understood the implication of what he was reading. To unlock the secrets of the mind.

Blaise immediately went to his side to look at the journals and he pointed the sections that contained the information on the plants.

"Fucking Merlin!" His friend exclaimed as the realization of what they had to do hit him. Blaise looked at him and said, "You just have to-"

He didn't let him finish what he was asking as he already knew what it was. "I believe so."

Hope flayed within him as they rushed out of the Library. The journal secured in his hand fully intending for Potter to see it.

With any luck, Potter's already at the Hospital and knowing the heroic tendencies of the Chosen One and his penchant for saving, he'll channel it now. For Granger, for his best friend, for the girl he treats as his sister.

He'll do his part, whatever he can.

For the girl who, a failure and as misguided as he was for being a death eater, gave him the hope and a promise of a new life.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

She rested her head on the glass window by the drawing room watching the street below her. Harry and Sirius had left her there for the moment and seeing as she longed for a moment of peace herself, she welcomed the silence. But all it does was magnify her confusion.

She was attempting to empty her mind and not think of anything else. Everything was a jumbled puzzle and her head hurts by trying to arrange them in its proper order.

She was still convinced that she was dreaming. But then again, shouldn't she have awoken by now? The roller coaster of emotions she went through is enough to jolt her out of the dream world if she was indeed dreaming.

The jump from a building was still lingering in the back of her mind but she wasn't that courageous enough yet to try. Killing herself just to see if she was dreaming, how morbid her thoughts have become.

Is she seriously considering that her dream is better? God what's wrong with her. In there, Harry only has her and Ron. Here he has his entire family with him. He was happy. Who was she to take that away from him?

 _Which was real?_

She groaned and almost banged her head hard on the glass but only managed a small thump seeing as she doesn't want to worry Sirius and Harry anymore than they did.

Arms suddenly circled around her encompassing both her arms and pulling her to a hard toned chest that almost made her squeal. "What the hell are you doing Love?" A nose nuzzled her cheeks and his essence filled her senses that made her knees go weak. She knew who it was even without looking.

"Malfoy!" She screeched when he affectionately nipped the tips of her ear. He chuckled in response and the low rumbling reverberated on her back.

He turned her around so that she was facing him when he crushed her against his chest again and just held her tight to him. "Malfoy?" she murmured as she was battling the feeling of bliss that's about to burst from her chest.

"I'll make you say my name again." he whispered and she shivered at the soft sound of his voice.

"What about Astoria? Isn't she-?" but she stopped. Her brows creased as she recalled that in this life, in this dream, there was no Astoria. Her breath was shaky as she could recall now that they first got together just after they were accepted into Auror Training.

Astoria was in the other life, the other dream. Which was real? She remembered there how he used to take Astoria out to Lunch or Dinner, to take her as his date in ministry events or even just to tea. How Astoria always held his arm as she pranced around with him in Diagon Alley and how smug her smile was as though she was the Queen when he always, always does her wishes.

It was sickening and disheartening and made her little heart bleed. Would she pick that life compared to this? In this world she was wanted, she was loved. She wasn't just the Golden girl to him or his mission partner or the best friend of Harry Potter.

He pulled away from her to stare at her face and she could feel the arrogant smile that's about to grace his lips. That's how she knew him that well. 7 years in school, albeit in opposite sides of the spectrum, and 5 years as Aurors, she wasn't ignorant of how he is.

"I must say you'll always be the first to say that you don't know me. How could anyone ever forget who I am?" A delicate brow rose on his face as the smirk presented itself.

She wasn't one to back out of a taunt and she wasn't about to start now. "Well there must be something wrong with what you're doing then if I could forget Dra-co." She said as she matched his cheeky smile and dragged on his name.

"Would you like a sweet reminder then?" His voice full of promises as his hands brushed her arms leaving goosebumps in its wake.

She was instantly reminded of the fact that she always suppressed whatever feelings she has of him thinking that she doesn't want to disrupt whatever dynamics they already have. Besides, he was already with Astoria. And she knew that he may have changed his ways and eschew whatever disdain he has on muggleborns and of embracing pureblood supremacy, he was still a Malfoy and she doubted his family, most especially his father, would agree for him to date her.

It was that knowledge that she always cherished whatever time she was given when she was with him. She always treasure the coffee time they had on the café on the 2nd street near their favorite bookstore on the more obscure parts of diagon alley to avoid the crowds. Or the hours of just wandering at the said bookstore looking for something new to read while they wait for Harry and Ron or sometimes Blaise or Theo. The countless banters they did on numerous breakfast, lunch or dinner times discussing the current events or just passages on books they read or the new discoveries made was what made her want to start the day.

So she hid, and she watched and she smiled whenever they crossed paths and just went with whatever was on at that moment. It was easier. She figured, she would get over it when she gave it time but she didn't count on the fact that they were almost always together and her heart just wept.

But here, he was different yet the same. His history was different and yet he was the same self-conceited arrogant prat that she always knew.

Malfoy gave her a strange questioning look when she didn't answer but all she gave him was a small smile. That smile made him scowl at her.

"Don't close off on me Hermione. I know about your dreams." He said as he snaked an arm on her waist to pull her closer to him. "I often wondered if it was a path I would have taken if Voldemort didn't die, to become a death eater. I'm thankful that he did."

"Maybe it was a good thing that he did or else you wouldn't be here with me now would you?" She gave him a grin starting their banter again.

"Oh yes, Can you imagine-" He tugged on her to pull her closer to him. "-me with Astoria? How positively awful was that?" He paused as he seemed to realized something. "Or maybe you can imagine as you dreamt of it." And he laughed as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world and she was entranced by it.

She only saw a handful of when he would laugh and each time she was captivate. But those memories were being muddled when she knew in this world she had watched him laughed hundreds of times, mostly at the expense of her, Harry and Ron. It doesn't make being enchanted by it any easier.

He watched her as she caressed his face and she could see something strange glint on his stare. Her hand reached the back of his hair and she leaned her forehead onto his. Closing her eyes and just savoring the moment hoping against hope that if ever this was a dream, to please please please just let her be with him for just a little longer before waking her up.

She didn't know if she made up her mind that this was now her reality. All she knew was that she was in Draco's arms, him kissing her forehead with his lips lingering in her skin.

"Draco?" her quiet whisper echoed around them as she looked at him.

She didn't know who moved first but as his hold embraced on her tightened and pools of silver grey eyes whirled on her, his lips descended down on her.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

Her mind was a sequence of never ending tunnels. Trust Granger to categorize everything even in the deep recesses of her brain. He passed through tunnel after tunnel and opening doors after doors which housed her memories. It was different from other people whose mind was just a tangled mess.

Draco didn't know what he was looking for specifically but since yesterday he and Potter delved into the mind of Granger looking for any signs, any clues, any indication that she was somewhere. But there were too many too many tunnels to go through, too many doors to wade in, and there are doors that lead into another door and into another tunnel. Her mind was a maze in itself.

And he was getting desperate. They were desperate.

This was her last day.

The telltale signs of mind exhaustion were creeping in and he was pulled out from looking at the memory of her crying at some girl's bathroom. His control was slipping as he could feel the emotion that she felt albeit weakly.

He turned to the solemn face of Potter and he could only shake his head. Both of them were tired from doing too much Legilimency.

He could see Ginny crying at Granger's side holding her hand much the same way Potter had on the first night. Blaise was beside her looking just as solemn. He couldn't bear to look at her. Her crying was a reminder that he had failed. Again. That he was a failure even in the other side.

"Let me try again." This was no time to rest. Only a few more hours and the time was up.

"Malfoy rest for a moment. It wouldn't do us any good if you collapse from exhaustion." It was Potter who tiredly rubbed his eyes. "Between the two of us you are the one skilled at Legilimency and Occlumency. I have the skill of a 5 year old compare to you. So please just rest for a moment. Sleep for an hour and let your magic heal."

He knew Potter was correct. He was spending less and less time with each entry to her mind and he knew it was because his magic was depleting.

He sat by the chair against the wall and just stared at his surroundings. Weasley sat at the foot of Granger's bed looking almost ready to cry. Seeing as he wasn't trained in Legilimency, he was unable to do anything and that tore at him. There was his best friend, lying on the bed and he was just watching and waiting and hoping for a miracle.

He knew the rest of the Weasley's as well as the parents of Granger would be here soon. Potter requested that they give them the time to help wake Granger up. To let them do what they can. But even he was losing hope fast.

He didn't know when he fell asleep. His thoughts were running even in his dreams and all he could think about was the time spent with Granger. He wasn't prepared to lose her yet. Not anytime soon. He didn't know what he would do when he does, if he could bear to look at the things that will made him think of her. If he would be able to look at any book without being reminded of her, of earl grey as her favorite tea, of scones at the corner bakeshop near her favorite muggle bookstore, or even just a cat. His thoughts turned to Crookshanks as he knew the cat trusted him more than Weasley and the red head was furious with that.

He felt a hand shake him awake and the blurred face of Blaise loomed his sight.

 _How long was I out?_ He panicked and the sudden thought jostled him awake that he quickly looked at Granger. Relief flooded him at seeing her chest rise and fall.

"How long?" He managed to ask Blaise through the hoarseness of his voice.

"Almost two hours." He replied. "I figured you would blow a top on if we didn't wake you up soon. Weasley and Ginny just went out to get us something to eat." Blaise didn't add that Potter was terrified of waking him up lest he suddenly hexed him.

He shook his head to clear out the remains of sleep. He was almost afraid to look at Potter. His light was nearly gone and he believed the only thing keeping him on his feet was the knowledge that they still had some time left.

He made his way on the bed and sat on Granger's side. She was deathly pale now as if little by little the life was being sucked out of her.

"Here" Potter handed him a cup of coffee while holding onto his own and the strong scent of caffeine washes over him. "To keep us awake and alert."

Figuring that the two need to talk about something, Blaise straightened himself up and moved towards the door. "I'm gonna look for the two and help them carry whatever stuff they bought."

Draco could only nod at his friend before returning his gaze back at Granger only just hearing the door being opened then shut.

He brushed aside the piece of hair on her face and just stared at her. She was light and he wanted nothing more than to bask on it. Was he already good enough to be in her presence and allow him to stay at her side? It was what usually plagued his sleepless nights. If he deserved his place beside her.

Would she ever tell him that?

"She likes you, you know." his head whipped to Potter and stared at him incredulously from his words. "I'm not sure if you saw the set of memories she has on you. But she would always look at you." Potter sat on the chair by the bed and gazed at Granger tenderly.

"That's impossible. She tolerates me enough." He didn't want to get his hopes up. Not this way. And certainly not by Potter.

"You know I'm rubbish at Legilimency and Occlumency. I could not even last for more than a few minutes in her mind when viewing her memories and I could not close off my own mind in hers. I could feel every emotion she felt. It was torture yet gratifying at the same time."

Draco could only listen to him. He knew what Potter was getting into. He saw the memory set from one of the deeper parts of her mind. It was an indication that she was trying to bury those even within her and that intrigued him but was about to passed the door until he glimpsed that the memories were of him.

She was always watching him and the bittersweet memories were of him always with Astoria.

It was time to set that record straight. Potter was always as subtle as a flying bludger. "I'm not with Astoria if that's what you want to know." He removed his gaze from Granger and stared directly at Potter who looked back at him fervently.

"You're always together." It wasn't a question. He knew Potter was stating his observations.

"At the behest of my mother. She thought we're good together."

"Are you?"

"No. I can't stand her. And for the record, I asked my mother, almost begged actually, to stop setting us up."

Potter returned to gaze at Granger and brushed her hair with his hands. "I never knew the extent in which she cares for me. From her memories, she always looked out for me. And I got this feeling that absolutely terrifies me is that what's holding her back from waking up is the both of us." He paused and exhaled deeply. "It's just a hunch but from all the years of knowing Hermione, she always wishes the best for the people she loves first. And, I realized this from her memories of you, that maybe in her dream, you were hers."

It was a blow to him. Like being hit by a bludger repeatedly. He gritted his teeth and swallowed the guilt in his throat. He won't be able to live with himself if there's any truth to what Potter was saying. And deeply he knew it was a possibility.

They had to get her. They need to.

"How much time?" He asked but already knowing the answer.

"A little under two hours." It took a while for Potter to reply as though it pained him to even say it much less acknowledged it.

"Let me go first" He stated and readied himself. "If we're the reason she stays there, let us give her a reason to return here." He smirked at Potter at was surprised that Potter grinned at him.

 _Legilimens!_

He was back in the never ending tunnels but he knew now where to dally and where to linger. He was thankful that Granger was as meticulous as she does else they would have an even harder time finder her in her mind.

He was already familiar with the other tunnels and he knew he already peeked at some of the doors he passed through earlier. He needed to find an unfamiliar path. He avoided the doors in red as he knew it housed her memories of the time she was in Hogwarts and in Gryffindor. Blue doors mostly held her memories of her parents. There were gold doors and orange doors and peach colored ones and a light rose colored which smelt strangely like strawberry and it amused him to see that it held her childhood memories back when she did not know Hogwarts yet.

A tunnel would have multi colored doors in random and it took a while for him to discover that the grey and green doors held memories of him for they were few and far in between and almost always hidden in the back. He didn't know if it was meant to be a hidden treasure or a buried one.

It took every ounce of his willpower not to look and see what she thought knowing what she already felt for him. If he was to know, it would be coming from her directly, not because he chucked whatever morals he still had and see for himself.

He was distracted with looking at one door which was an odd rainbow colored one and was contemplating on opening the door that it took a while for him to realize he was on an unfamiliar passage. Optimism flayed through as he went further down ignoring doors after doors.

The tunnels did not branch but just went on to different directions. He quickly lost count how many times he turned left or right and noticed that the doors disappeared somewhere down the tunnel and he was just walking in a seemingly endless corridor.

He noticed the tunnels were becoming darker whereas before where the walls were white or peach or warm colored in tone, these walls were in shades of darker browns and greys. It unnerved him. It was either something extremely sinister was hidden or a really horrific memory was caged here.

He tried to recall if he encountered her memories of the war and remembered the rust colored doors he found earlier. He left the memory as soon as he figured what set they were in. Experiencing the war was enough, seeing them again was another, and relieving them through the eyes of Granger and all she went through was an experience he did not wished to delve into much less wished to see.

The tunnels opened to a large rectangular room, a massive black double door that span the height of the floor to the ceiling laid on the back wall. It was heavily wooden and deep black in color and he can't seem to see any handles. Curiously, he tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. He tried banging on the door and he could only hear chains that rattled coming from the inside.

Looking at the hinges, the doors open outward.

 _Shit!_

His analytical mind sets in. Only something, or someone from the inside can open the door.

It looks like he found exactly where Hermione was caged in.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

"I found her." It was the first words out of Draco's mouth as soon as he returned back to the room. Three chairs scraped the floors as Potter, Weasley and the Girl Weasley rose from the chair. Blaise merely looked up to him with eyes widening. He looked pointedly at Harry. "Or rather," he continued. "I found the door where she might be in."

"Are you sure?" Potter asked at the same time a confused Ginny voiced in "door?"

"What do you take me for?" he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at him. His arrogance was back. "A rookie?"

Potter laughed and stood next to him and clapped his back. He looked back at Ginny grinning and said "Hermione has this system in her mind that categorizes her memories through doors and tunnels. She organized them."

Potter returned his attention to Draco and confidently said, "Let's bring her back."

They were running through the tunnels and he was focused on looking for that particular rainbow colored door as indication that they were close.

Time was already ticking loudly. They had under an hour left.

 _Would they make it in time?_

 _Would she?_

"It's there!" Potter shouted pointing towards the door. He didn't give the door any importance when he saw the tunnels and just ran towards the eerie path, Potter just a step behind him.

There stood the black doors in front of them looming in contrast to the brown walls and he stopped just inches from it. What do they do now?

"See the hinges? They opened outwards and can only be opened from the inside." he informed Potter and he heard him cursed beside him.

He wondered what ruse to get her to open the door from the other side.

 _Would she be able to hear them?_

He placed both hands on the door and just wished desperately that this would work. That somewhere on the other side of her consciousness, she would remember that this was how she was. That she wasn't lost in the world of her dreams. That she would still choose to come back to this life.

"Granger," He started. His voice reverberated in the entire room. "What are you doing?" he chastised her. "I didn't peg you to be the damsel in distress. Aren't you big in saving yourself?" He taunted her. It was what he does best and he wouldn't change it for anything else. And Granger liked him enough despite the way he was and the numerous faults he had.

Potter caught on what he was doing and leaned his forehead on the door. "Hermione, come back to us. We're missing you terribly. Ginny won't stop crying. Ron haven't eaten a decent meal in days worrying about you. You know how he is, I suspect when you wake up he'd eat enough for 10 people and you'll be berating him for not sharing." Potter gave a dry humorous laugh imagining the scenario in his head.

"We're waiting for you here Mione. You're dreaming the life you want. You were drugged with Belladonna and Salvia. It's not real." Potter was beginning to cry by the pained sound of his voice. "You always said I have uncontrolled hero complex. But I would take on Voldemort again just to have you back with us. You're my family, you're my sister, you're my best friend. And I would do anything for you."

Draco daren't looked at Potter. Already hearing the heartbreaking sob. Malfoy's don't do emotions. It was what his Father always instilled in him. But hearing Potter baring his heart, it tugged something in him. It made them fall all over the place.

"Granger, you heard him. Or else Potter would be useless. And how would I ever found another partner who actually knows the difference between Elemental Augmentation and Absorption. The demented duo clearly doesn't." He heard Harry protested on his side and he just sniggered at him. "Or stay there and I'll be sure to feed all the cake to Crookshanks."

"Don't listen to him Mione. I'm sure he'll be the one to eat all the cake."

They stayed there and banter and spoke of things and wishing that Granger would finally open the door.

Potter spoke of the things she loved the most, and places she wished to see, things she still wants to do. He spoke of the way he knew of her, of how she was at Hogwarts, of how he used to find her asleep on the Library on stressful nights, of how she nagged them on mornings of Winter when they refused to get out of the warm bed, of the cunningness and the deviousness she had, of the training she did as Auror, of the strengths she possessed.

Draco listened to all of that. He knew he did not know her as much as her friends did. He was only the other friend that's outside her circle. But, she saved him from the darkness when everything was bleak. She reached out a hand to him when none wanted to give him a chance.

She gave him the salvation he needed. She made him look forward to tomorrow.

If she'd let him, he'd give her the world.

He started to think that what his mother said to him before made sense. The past few days made him realize that if he can't get Granger out of his head, then maybe, just maybe, she's supposed to be there. And it scared him. It scared him that he never realized why he was so drawn to her.

He's not about to have a heart talk. Thinking about it was nauseating enough. He's not a bloody Gryffindor whose emotions lay on their sleeves for the world to see. And if he's going to say something, it would be directly to her face. So he taunted her and teased her and called her names with the door in between so that he was the way he always was, the way she knew him.

"You owe us a huge favor doing this Granger and I would cash it in by letting you treat me to that new French Place in Diagon Alley and I won't say no to a Pinot Noir Red Wine either."

So he had expensive taste. Sue him.

"Or we'd go to that Japanese Restaurant, Roka, near Garden Square and I'll take pleasure watching you squirm while we eat Sushi." He added shrewdly grinning and already imagining her face especially when Weasel is with them eating.

He heard Potter laughed beside him. They both knew that if Hermione ever treated them to dinner, it would be in a chic café or somewhere Italian where she could indulge herself in Bruschetta and Raspberry Panna Cotta.

But slowly, the walls were darkening. The light was gradually fading.

Their time was up. And the door still remained tightly shut.

Seconds before the darkness consumed them, he heard the faint rattle of chains.

But it could just be his imagination or his wishful thinking. They were vehemently thrown out of her mind rather forcefully and he knew what that entailed.

It scared him to look for he knew what he would find. And he prayed to anyone who would listen, to please please please, just please.

But the body of Granger lay still on the bed.

She wasn't breathing.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

AN: Please don't kill me. Only 1 chapter left.

Did you notice my reference to the movie 'The Book of Life'?

I got the idea of tunnels deep in the brain from watching too many Naruto Episodes. From those familiar with the series, think of Kyuubi and how Naruto would always walk through tunnels and doors when going to the cage of Kyuubi deep inside him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Nightshade Dreams**

 _By iamgaki_

 **Disclaimer:** Wishing I own Draco Malfoy

Inspired by _The Power of Two Hearts, Chapter 12, by kayjuli_

 **Summary:** Struck by a rare poison that induces sleep during an Auror mission, Hermione has one week to make a choice whether to stay in the world where everything she ever truly wished for is a reality or to come back to everything she has ever known.

 **A/N:** Thanks to all those who've read and reviewed. Your response truly warms my heart.

 **Beth –** You are a sweetheart. I try to include all details possible to avoid confusing questions.

 **Just Another Reader –** I'm glad you like it. Thank you for the positive advice and for making my ears blushed at your words of encouragement.

 **Judy –** Here's the next Chapter. I hope you didn't get tired of waiting.

I intentionally limited the POV to Hermione and Draco to fully focus on them and I don't want the story to draw out.

And a big Thank You to **Reika** for being my Beta Reader. She intends to hide my PS3 if I didn't finish the Chapters on time.

 **Last Note:** I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. This was supposed to be the Last Chapter. But I didn't expect the length to be this long. And Lastly, I'm a sucker for Disney Movies. I think that's clue enough on how this will end. =]

 **Rating: T / Smut Alert**

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

 **Chapter 4: The Reality of the Unconscious**

 _He's Beautiful_

She was drowning in pools of silvery grey. All she could see in her vision was his face as he gazed upon her beneath the faint glow of the afternoon sun. She couldn't help but caressed that face just to see if what she's holding truly was real and not just some misbegotten imaginary fantasy her mind had just conjured.

Her belief was still conflicted but little by little she was coming to accept that this was her reality. It was where she was meant to be.

He leaned on her touch and those gazes focused on her lips as a faint smile graze his face. Those gazes would really be her undoing. A soft smile made its way to her as she remembered the heated kisses and lingering touches. She didn't think she would be swept up her feet as she was a rational person but one kiss from Draco Malfoy had her wanting more. Her memories be damned. It may not be her first time kissing him here but in her messed up reality, in that moment, it was.

He was fire and ice at the same time and those sweet sinful kisses and soft touches sent jolts of pleasure in her. His arms caged her and continued to pull her towards him that she never knew where she ended and where he began.

His taste was uniquely his. She couldn't define it but she knew she wouldn't be able to tire of it. Like century old whiskey and a box of gourmet chocolate rolled into one or cup of vanilla sundae ice cream with cherries on top on a hot summer day.

"Where did you go?" He whispered as he nuzzled her cheek. "I believe I lost you for a moment."

She didn't know how to say she was thinking of him and his kisses. His ego would inflate greater that his head.

"Nothing really" and she just smiled up at him giving away nothing of what she was thinking.

A delicate brow rose up as he stared at her disbelievingly and she was reminded of his alter self so majestically. He always had that face when she was doing something she was not supposed to be doing especially when she's about to flout some rules.

She sniggered at that reaction and a scowl made its way to his mouth before a mischievous one appeared. That smile didn't bode well for her. She didn't have time to decipher what that smile meant when she was suddenly lifted to his shoulder. A shriek made its way past her. "Draco Malfoy!"

A view of his backside was what loomed her vision. She was not complaining given the view but being manhandled grated on her nerves. "You put me down right now!" She shouted as she tried to wiggle herself out of his hold. Nevermind how she was gonna get down from her position.

And Malfoy just laughed at her as he made way across the room which irked her even more. A slap resounded on her back thighs that made her rigid in her stance.

 _Did he just slap my butt?_

"What the-?" She never even got to finish whatever it is she meant to say to him as she was unceremoniously dumped on the lounge couch. A small _eep_ escape her lips when her back rebounded on the cushion pillows. She narrowed her eyes at him but all she got was a mischievous smirk playing on his lips as he looked down on her.

She distantly wondered what he was thinking about but all she wanted was to erase that smirk on him at that time. Her annoyance made her grabbed the pillow on her back and chucked it straight to him wishing it hit his face directly.

She forgot she was dealing with a quidditch player, particularly a seeker, when he effortlessly grabbed the pillow midair. She groaned thinking of the revenge he was going to bestow on her with that little stunt she pulled. And his smirk morphed into a grin and she became wary of what he would do.

She couldn't helped but noticed how the afternoon sun on his back had formed a halo on his head and she watched him as he watch her, fascinated how the sun's glow illuminate him more and more. Knowing his background and how he used to be, she was instantly reminded of a fallen angel. But she mused that he fitted the description of a redeemed devil better.

"You are a sly little minx," He started as he moved towards her. "Looking at me with those eyes and teasing me with that smile of yours."

She felt trapped in those mesmerizing gaze. With nowhere to back to, she held her defiant stance against him, all the time wary of what he would do. And it's not like there is anywhere she could run to. She snorted at the idea that she wished to be anywhere but here. How preposterous.

He loomed over her, one knee leaning on the couch, casually brushing his hands on her arms that sent chills down her spine. The other hand gently caressing her face, her neck and she couldn't help but lean on his hands almost closing her eyes.

 _Would he kiss her again?_

She looked back at him and her breathe barely hitched as she noticed the closing distance of his face from her. Her pulse quickened as he returned his gaze to her lips. The mirth was gone from his face and was replaces by swirling emotions she couldn't name. Transfixed by the depth of gleaming silver, all coherent thoughts vanished from her. All she knew at that moment was his lips hovering above her and with just one move she would be able to taste them again.

She was prepared to take it. She was about to as she moved her hands to the back of his head. Leaning forward, just as she was about to close the distance, a faint knock echoed on the room followed by a melodic clinking of chains. The sound jolted her out of her current senses as she wondered if there's anyone coming.

"Did you hear that?" She suddenly asked Malfoy who looked at her as though she just swallowed something dreadful. "Sounds like knocking - I think."

Malfoy could only shake his head at her smiling. "You think too much Love."

Without pausing to let her think of a reply, he swooped down and claimed her lips.

She didn't let herself hesitate in kissing him back. Melting instantly the moment his lips touched hers, she opened her mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss and claiming her utterly. She moved her hands back around his neck to pull him closer to her and pressing her body into his. The moan she unknowingly made produced a jolt of electricity down his spine and pooled on his groin that he pushed her into the sofa and climbed on top of her.

He was intoxicating. It's the only way she knew how to describe him. Every kiss, every taste, every lick of his tongue made her want him even more than she knew possible. She kept one hand around his neck to keep him there and the other tracing the contours of his body. A shudder of pleasure rolled into her as she felt the growing erection pressed against her and a loud moan escaped her lips before she caught herself.

His kisses changed. He plundered her mouth deeply and his hands roamed her sides skimming her breasts. His groans became louder and louder and she knew it was only a matter of time before he lost it completely.

She couldn't remember ever being these aroused in her life. "Gods, Hermione," her muttered against her mouth as he tore his mouth from her. She continued to leave tiny pecks of teasing kisses on his face, on his neck all the while trailing his body with her hands and gripping his sides. "I want you," she murmured on his ear as she gave him a tiny nip and he drew a sharp intake of breathe.

She didn't think of the consequences whatsoever nor did she think of her conflicting reality. All she knew that moment was the man above her that's making her feel absolutely incredible. The only sounds were their gasping voices and uninhibited moans and the growing desire between them.

She needed him.

The next few sounds she would have made were swallowed up by his mouth. She pressed her breast against his chest and moaned when he tightened his grip on her head and pressed his groin further into her.

 _Gods, the sounds he makes._

Throwing caution against the wind, she deftly fingered the buttons of his shirt and opened them nimbly as he sucked on to the hollow of her neck. His hands were busy with drawing patterns on her breasts. She bucked against him knowing he could feel her hardened nipples in his hands and how wet she was.

It was then and there that she learned that Malfoy has limited amount of self-control as he tore her shirt open and buttons flew flying past everywhere.

She cried out on the sensation of his skin against her as he pushed his shirt away from him. He was hot and hard. And fuck, he was hard for her.

Her last rational thought was watching her bra fall on the floor and hoping Harry and Sirius doesn't enter the room for some time.

All thoughts left her the moment his fingers brushed her sides and made quick work of her pants.

Somehow she knew they wouldn't leave the drawing room anytime soon.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

The only sound he could hear was the humming of whatever static surrounds the room. All eyes trained on the lone woman lying beneath the white cotton sheets. He didn't think he could move even if he wanted to. His eyes were gripped on the bed. On the figure he was constantly watching this past week that lay still underneath. The rise and fall of her chest which was a source of comfort the past few days was noticeably unmoving.

He was wishing desperately that what he was seeing was just a messed up nightmare.

 _Oh Gods_

It was as though his nightmare became his reality.

His eyes refused to move from Granger anxiously wishing he was only confounded. That what he was seeing was just an illusion. But he couldn't mistake the apparent stillness of her body or the paleness of her skin. Those golden brown eyes tucked behind closed lids that may never open again.

He couldn't fathom never seeing them again.

His mind went back to the time before the start of their abominable mission, right before she jumped on the ledge. His hand moved on its own accord before he could comprehend what he was doing. A peck of dirt was on her face and instinctively, he brushed those away. He didn't know what made him react the way he did. He was always aware of the fine line between them and crossing it was unbecoming of him and incongruous in their dynamics. But in her mission clothes and determined face, she was radiant in the afternoon sun and her golden eyes drew him in.

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist at his side. He was never more aware of the beating of his heart until now. It was a constant reminder that he was here and the woman he grew to care for was there, lost between the sheets and her dreams. The dreams that have claimed even the bravest of men.

Their time was up. Even he knew that and the battle for her reality was long over.

A loud splashed lifted him up from those dark foreboding thoughts as his attention drifted to a rolling cup on the floor. A trail of dark liquid pooled on the marble floor and the scent of roasted coffee wafted in the air. He didn't dare look at who dropped the cup. He knew without looking at her that Ginny realized what happened, what the still form of Granger meant.

"No!" She wailed and lounged herself at Granger. "Hermione! Please!" Her continued cries echoed on the room and Draco still continued to gaze at the dark liquid swirling on the floor.

He couldn't bear to look. He couldn't swallow the confirmation he knew would abound to him that the situation was really bleak from the very beginning. It would mean everything they did for her was naught.

It was as though a dam broke in the room the moment Ginny latched herself to Granger crying.

He saw Potter slumped on the floor with a loud thump looking at Granger numbly. One look at his face and his chest constricted considerably that made him clenched his fist tighter. Tears were flowing freely down Potter's face as he stared at the one girl who meant everything to him. A loud sob echoed behind him and he knew Weasley was crying as well.

Blaise had gotten hold of Ginny and was now embracing her as she clung to him crying.

He couldn't help but lift his gaze to the hand that lay lifeless on the cover. Those hand that started his salvation on the new world. The hand that lifted him up and saved him from sinking from his own sorrow.

 _Would you allow us to start again?_ He wouldn't forget those words she said to him.

A memory assaulted him back to the day when he repeated his seventh year. The name Malfoy has been dragged through the mud and though no one has said anything, the stares, the whispers, the disdain can be felt. The Slytherin common room wasn't a reprieve from all these, as even there, his position was uncertain. His housemates were unsure of him and though he has Blaise and Theo, his pride doesn't allow him to bow his head in shame.

Through the eyes of the world and everyone around him, he remained unaffected, inside he was drowning. His escape came from one of the isolated corner of the Library where he spent his days absorbed in his schoolwork and mulling on the direction his life was gonna take. The business was frozen, his father in Azkaban and he doesn't believe they were welcome in the society. What of his Mother who's under house arrest for a year?

A voice called him back from his musing and he saw Granger invading his personal space. Instinct rankled through him to be offensive as was the impulse when faced with the opposite house whose sole purpose was to rile him but seeing as she was looking at him contemplatively made him lose whatever verbal assault he was to let loose.

There she was, looking at him as though expecting something from him. He wondered what she wants and why she was here. It was universally accepted that nobody wanted to be seen with a death eater.

And he was already tired of the fighting. Nobody came out of the war and still have your sanity in place.

"What is it Granger? This place is occupied." _Go away so I could brood in peace._

"Are you using that book?" She pointed on the book on his left. He was using it as reference for their assignment in Ancient Runes.

He shook his head and wordlessly slid the book to her hoping now that she got what she came for, she would leave him alone.

"Thanks" She already took a step backward to exit when she stopped and faced him once again. "You know," she started and he became wary of what she would say. Have she come to gloat over him? Their side did win after all. "I think it's time we start over and bury everything behind us."

He was surprised at her and it showed at his face that she smiled down at him gently. "Would you allow us to start again?" and she held her hand across him asking for a truce, a treaty, a something that would remove all hostilities that defined them before.

All he had to do was shake her hand.

And he did.

It was those moment that changed the direction his life took. He was prepared to drown and she lifted him up. Who knew Granger was an excellent swimmer?

Those hands helped him be a different person. Why did he let those hands fall down on him?

 _I failed her._

He was close to crying and it took every drop of self-control he has not to break down from where he stood. Those thoughts kept swirling over and over on his head. He failed her. The one person he was prepared to give his life to and he failed her.

He doesn't want to give up. He doesn't want to give in to this feeling of hopelessness. If he could, he would give his life for her. His was worth nothing compared to hers.

He wasn't prepared for this feeling of despair. He held his breathe as he inhaled and deliberately slowed down his breathing to hold back his tears. He knew one snap and his control would break.

Potter always said that Love would be enough. That Love was what helped him saved the goddamn world from that psychopathic freak who tried to conquer it. Why was it not enough to save Granger from this?

He gritted his teeth at this and clenched his jaw.

Why was he not enough to save her from her dreams?

He was too focused on his internal conflict, too concentrated on reigning in whatever emotion that threatened to fall.

He failed to notice the changes on the girl lying on the grimly white bed.

He failed to notice the hand he was reflecting earlier gave a slight twitch against the still white cover.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

 _Sated_

That was the one word best describe her as she lay on top of Draco Malfoy bare naked. Her head tucked underneath his chin and her hand placed on his chest. If she could just stay there forever, she would.

 _Goodness Godric. The things he could do with his tongue and hands._

She smiled at that sassy thought and brought her face closer to his as she nuzzled his neck. A hand brushed her hair and gently massages her head and the contentment that brought to her soared. She nearly purred in delight. It's a wonder what great sex can really do to her.

He chuckled under her and the light laugh caused her to smile even further. All the while she continued to snuggle over him feeling his hardened body under her. She was craving him more and more the longer she stayed in his arms.

"Mine" She heard his husky claim as he snaked his arms around her and her little heart couldn't help but lift in his possessiveness.

"Aren't I always?" She whispered to him.

His hold on her tightened as he gave her a light peck on her head. Even though she knew they had to get up soon, the satisfied smile on his face made her hesitate to burst the bubble of contentment they found themselves in.

She was basking in the afterglow of the blissful afternoon but something was nagging at the edge of her consciousness, a dream she was supposed to remember. It felt more like a distant memory.

 _What was her dream again?_

She knew it was about an alternate reality of her life and the life of everyone around her. But for the life of her she couldn't recall the details much. She frowned at the thought. Like all dreams she had, they tend to recede after a while. Why was it important for her to remember?

The little details left were random bits of pieces of which she wasn't even entirely certain. She knew it was about Voldemort rising to power but the specifics were sketchy at best. Her brows furrowed as she tried to recall something about Harry and a scar. And a prophecy? She questioned.

"You were relaxed not a minute ago and now you're tense again," Draco said in her puzzling state. "What is it?" he asked and she looked up at his questioning eyes that pierced through her as though he knew exactly what puzzled her.

"It's just that," she paused unsure of what to say. "The dreams were disappearing?" she strived to find the right word for it. "Unlike before where everything was crystal clear. Now I'm struggling to recall the elements of it. They're starting to fade? I guess."

Draco hummed in response and smiled at her. "That's normal love. Pretty soon you won't remember them at all. "

She was afraid of that. She had this strong feeling that there's something important that she must remember. But how can she? When the dreams were slipping past her fingers and scattering down at her feet.

Her memories in this life were already pushing the dreams out of her mind. She was starting to forget and that scared her although she didn't know why.

She tried to capsulize hoping a spark would resuscitate a quick memory but all she got was mundane things whose context was lost to her. She saw herself brewing Polyjuice potion on a woman's bathroom but has no knowledge of why she did, and why was she riding Buckbeak with Harry? There's also her running on rows upon rows of crystal orbs where she knew lies in the Department of Mysteries and she wondered what made her sic ghastly birds on Ron. Then there was the eerie vision of Malfoy Manor. Her heart clenched at the vision of it.

She shook her head hoping to clear some blockage that may have formed there and burrowed further into Draco. His arms circled around her and rubbed a caressing motion on her back trying to soothe her.

"Let it go," he murmured into her. "It doesn't do you well to dwell on those dreams. Tomorrow everything will be back to normal."

 _Why does that sound so foreboding to her?_

She didn't respond verbally but sighed into his chest. She knew he was right. Nothing will come out if she put any more emphasis on them. But a lone scene captured her interest that made her want to grasp the dreams longer. This one was sharper than the rest.

She was on a corridor down at the Ministry and Draco Malfoy was standing in front of her with an aloof smile on his face and holding out his hand for her to shake. She felt herself grin despite the odd and watchful faces looking at them.

"Partners again Granger? Couldn't get enough of me?" He said as he waited for her to shake his hand. She laughed at his cheekiness and subsequently grasped his hand in a firm shake.

"Who else could tolerate your prattiness?" She countered with a smirk on her face. "And for the record, it was you who followed me here."

"How else would I be able to annoy those dunderheads you call friends?"

"Your rivalry will get us killed one of these days." she said pertaining to him, Harry and Ron's tendency to aggravate one another.

"I know you'll make sure we didn't." He said, his roguish grin fluttering on his face.

Their hands still clutched each other throughout their banter.

She doesn't remember what came on to that scene. All she knew was that the friendship they had was precious for them to act out that way. The relationship they had spoke for itself. They were comfortable enough that they mock and tease one another without worrying of the repercussions.

She knew she was on a standstill earlier questioning the validity of her life here and whether or not she was dreaming. Those vivid dreams seemed so real.

She sighed for the umpteenth time and figured Harry and Sirius will coming down to them soon. Too much thinking will make her insane at this point. She'd better let the day just take its course and see where it took her.

"C'mon," she urged Draco as she hopped off him and subsequently gathered their clothes strewn across the room. "I don't want Sirius and Harry catching us again in a compromising position."

He smirked at her and she knew he was thinking of the numerous times they were caught in various places and countless positions. Chuckling, she threw his clothes at him and ordered him to behave when his hands wandered to her.

They were about to cross the threshold of the drawing room when Draco said something to her, a casual remark that made her stopped halfway. "We still need to prepare for our mission tomorrow. Briefing is 07:00AM according to Kingsley."

 _Mission?_

The word echoed around her and seemed to tinkle on a part of her forgotten dream. She was on a mission in the dream. That she knew. She remembered earlier that she thought Harry would have dropped her off at Grimmauld Place.

 _Why though? And what mission was it?_

Images flew through her as she concentrated but they were too hazy and blurred to be deciphered. And why was it that she can't allow herself to let go of those dreams, of the other reality. How hard would it be?

But something was stopping her from doing so and she needed to figure out what.

"Hermione?" She heard Draco questioned her past the door but his words didn't register to her. She was concentrating on piling those forgotten dreams and trying not breath thinking each drifted air will make her dreams crumble more. She was too focused on her thoughts that she nearly missed the words directed at her if not for the chastised way it was delivered.

" _Granger, what are you doing?"_ the admonishing voice of Malfoy pierced through her thoughts. _"_ _I didn't peg you to be the damsel in distress._ _Aren't you big in saving yourself?"_

Her eyes widened and she suddenly snapped her neck to the Draco in front of her and blinked at him questioningly. "Did you just say something?"

"Huh? I didn't." He said confusingly.

She was almost a hundred percent sure it was Draco's voice but at the same time it wasn't him. His tone was different. It sounded like the Draco from her dream. _What is going on?_

 _Where did the voice come from?_

She was about to disregard that mysterious voice thinking it was only her imagination when another voice piped in. _"Hermione, come back to us. We're missing you terribly..."_

She knew that voice, she wouldn't be able to mistake it for anyone else. It couldn't be anyone other than her best friend.

 _But I'm right here Harry._

She couldn't pinpoint where it originates from. The voices seemed to be coming from anywhere and nowhere and from the look of Draco's face, she was the only one who could hear it. They seemed to echo around her or maybe it just came from her own head.

Its official, she thought. _I'm finally going insane._ She faced Draco who has both his eyebrows raised at her. She couldn't help but asked him, "Are hearing voices part of the process of forgetting?" Maybe it's part of the course to her recovery?

"What? No!" He was alarmed at her. He immediately pulled her to him and cradled her head under his. "What voices? It isn't safe to hear sounds no one else can hear." She was instantly struck with a sense of déjà vu. _Now where did she hear that from before?_

Before she could reply, a heartbreaking sound drifted to her. _"We're waiting for you here Mione. You're dreaming the life you want. You were drugged with Belladonna and Salvia. It's not real."_ And she felt the loud sob of crying coming from her best friend. If it was one thing she couldn't bear to endure, it was seeing and hearing Harry endure anymore pain more than he already had. Her heart called out to him and she wished she could be by his side.

His words registered soon to her. _Belladonna and Salvia._

 _It's not real._

A jolt sent a shocked to her brain. Belladonna and Salvia. Those two plants that formed that Dark Sleep. Comprehension dawned on her that she took a step back from Draco who looked at her curiously.

 _It's not real. The Dark Sleep._

She closed her eyes and cradled her head with both hands. Those words keep repeating in her head. She distantly heard Draco call her name but her mind was too taken on absorbing and processing the information. _The Dark Sleep. The Dark Sleep. Now where did she hear that name?_ She knew that condition and was positive Malfoy was the one who taught her what it means.

"It's a type of poison,"he said to her during one afternoon in the library. "It causes hallucinations in the brain as the victim sleeps. It shows the deepest desires of the person's heart. By the seventh day, if the person has not awakened, the poison will run its course."

"The person will die." She stated knowing what Malfoy meant.

Her mind was becoming clearer.

She could now remember the events that lead to this. She remembered feeling lethargic and feverish after their mission.

 _And the smell of sweet berries_. It must be the Belladonna.

 _Shit!_

Realization hit her hard and she looked up at the worried face of Malfoy. Everything she experienced was what she truly hoped for in her heart. For Harry to have a proper family. And for Malfoy… for Malfoy… she couldn't finish the thought as her heart grimmaced.

" _I would do anything for you."_ The voice of Harry ghosted on her again and she felt like crying by the amount of emotion the words carried. She needed to wake up. She needed to return. She needed to think how. She needed to leave this dream. Based on Harry's desperation, she haven't got much time. It was probably her seventh day now.

She would have to leave all of these behind.

 _She would have to leave him behind._

She smiled sadly back at man who gave her everything she wanted here. She would have wanted to stay in his arms but this was not her life even if she desperately wished it to be. One step towards him and he opened his arms for her. She embraced him with all she could give, savoring the feel of him in her arms. She felt his arms circled her, the intensity of his embraced matched hers.

A lone tear escaped her eye.

One last kiss and she imparted every emotion she could possibly feel into him. This may be the last chance she could hold him in her arms. The last chance she could feel herself lost in his. She held his face in her hands and expressively whispered to him, "You are my dream." She looked at him one last time, savoring the silvery gray that was his eyes. "Thank you for giving me the best dream there is."

She blinked the tears away and everything dissolved into nothingness.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

 _Where am I?_

She was floating in a sea of black. Neither here nor there. She was in an endless nothingness and she couldn't figure out if she was facing up or down.

She wondered if she died already and this was just her transition to heaven, or eternity. Whichever place she was supposed to go. She figured she'd warrant a ticket to paradise given the things she'd already done. _I wasn't a bad person right?_

Paradise equals Happiness right? Maybe she could be happy there as well.

But she was drifting in this bleak oblivion and the concept of time was lost on her. Maybe she wasn't supposed to cross over yet. What did Harry said before when he was in Limbo? He said he was in the place between. Kings Cross Station. To transport him to the place he was meant to go. She wondered what place would manifest for her.

But she doesn't want to cross through yet. Little by little she felt the ground below her feet and she could finally stand upright. If there was a door she had to pass through, it would be a door back to her life, she thought with conviction. Back to the life she knew. The life she, no matter the pain she endured and sacrifices she made, wouldn't replace for anything in the world. She had her friends and family and they were all waiting for her.

And Harry. She doesn't want Harry to lose anyone anymore. No matter how good the dream was, it was just that. A dream.

"Do you hear me?" she stated to no one in particular. "There will be no crossing through the white door yet." Imagining that the way to heaven must be through a door of light.

She reckoned that everything that happened was a dream. If the Dark Sleep manifests the deepest desires of her heart, then what she wanted right now was to wake up. To escape from this forsaken dream.

No matter how ridiculous she felt, she chanted _wake up_ in her head continuously and prayed fervently to allow her to escape from wherever she was.

A distant thought flitted through her as she remembered her earlier excursion. A shock to her system is a way to wake up which usually involves dying. She recalled her thoughts before of what it entailed. _Does she have to jump to her death now?_

Like a prayer answered, her surroundings changed and the thrash of the wind that swiped on her face was the first thing she felt. Opening her eyes slowly, the skyline of the afternoon rays glowed in the distant. She groaned as she realized where she was. Raising her sight upwards, the three majestic peak of The Shard loomed her vision. The tallest building in all of England.

"Really Dream?" She whined. "You really would have me jump to my death?"

She moaned as she slowly trekked her way to the edge of the skyscraper. Trepidation hit her hard. Who wouldn't? Knowing she could fall to her death after this. _What a painful way to die,_ she thought.

Face your fears.

She was on the edge now and the shimmering waters of the English Channel glistened under the sun. The London Bridge stood tall against the impressive waters. It was a sight to behold.

 _Now or never Hermione_

She turned her back on the view and prayed to whoever could hear her to just guide her to wherever she fell into. Channeling every known courage she didn't know she possessed, she closed her eyes, and clasped her hands in front of her chest.

 _You're a Gryffindor. Courage is in your blood._

A Deep breathe… she let herself fall back.

And she fell head first into uncertainty.

It was a surreal feeling.

She was falling and floating at the same time. Like something was pulling and lifting her up simultaneously. The winds whipped past her and the sky went further and further the deeper she fall. Barely opening her eyes, she was afraid she would be back to that endless nothingness. She saw the sky grew farther and farther and her surroundings gradually faded. She couldn't feel the wind anymore but she was still falling. Clenching her hands tighter in front of her, she wished, she prayed, she called to every known Gods she knew, to grant her this one miracle.

A sound of chains tinkled in her consciousness.

And everything went black.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

 **A/N:** I know. I know. Please don't kill me. I promise this time (truly) that only one more chapter left.

You know when you are dreaming and you fell from your dream or something horrific happened to you and suddenly you were gasping for your breath as you awoken? Sources say it's the adrenalin that causes you to wake up. Although it may also be possible that our brain has no idea of what comes next when we die that we just woke up.

"It will remain remarkable in whatever way our future concepts may develop, that the very study of the external world led to the conclusion that the content of the consciousness is an ultimate reality." – Eugene Wigner, Nobel physicist, who laid the foundations for the theory of symmetries in quantum mechanics.

 **Here are a few excerpts on the topic of dreams and the mind:**

 _ **Adrenalin:**_

"Being particularly scary or threatening, nightmares can provoke 'fight and flight' responses, and the release of adrenalin whilst we are still asleep. Once you awaken from a nightmare it may then take a little time to come down from this elevated state, preventing you from being able to get back to sleep as easily or quickly."

 _ **Forgetting Dreams:**_

"We forget almost all dreams soon after waking up. Our forgetfulness is generally attributed to neurochemical conditions in the brain that occur during REM sleep, a phase of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements and dreaming. But that may not be the whole story. Perhaps the most compelling explanation is the absence of the hormone norepinephrine in the cerebral cortex, a brain region that plays a key role in memory, thought, language and consciousness. A study published in 2002 in the American Journal of Psychiatry supports the theory that the presence of norepinephrine enhances memory in humans, although its role in learning and recall remains controversial."

"At least 95% of all dreams are not remembered. Certain brain chemicals necessary for converting short-term memories into long-term ones are suppressed during REM sleep. Unless a dream is particularly vivid and if one wakes during or immediately after it, the content of the dream is not remembered"


	5. Chapter 5

Nightshade Dreams

 _By iamgaki_

 **Disclaimer:** Wishing I own Draco Malfoy

Inspired by _The Power of Two Hearts, Chapter 12, by kayjuli_

 **Summary:** Struck by a rare poison that induces sleep during an Auror mission, Hermione has one week to make a choice whether to stay in the world where everything she ever truly wished for is a reality or to come back to everything she has ever known.

 **A/N:** The Last Chapter! Finally! Really! Heartfelt Thanks to all who took the time to read and review, who favorite and who followed. To everyone, I hope you have enjoyed reading Nightshade Dreams as much as I've enjoyed writing them.

So Thank You Thank You Thank You.

And I'm so sorry this took so long. I was out of commission for a few days because I caught a flu. And I've been so stressed out at work that I've put off my writing for a few days. Blame my boss.

A Big Big Big Thank You to **Reika** for not letting me play my Playstation in order for me to finish this. =]

Without further ado ~ here's the last chapter. The longest one yet. Enjoy!

 **Rating: T**

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

 **Chapter 5:**

" _Is it wrong of me to be angry?" She whispered as she heard the soft footsteps coming towards her. Her head was bowed down towards the floor with clenched fist as she tried to control the tears flowing past her cheeks._

" _No," Malfoy answered in a soft spoken voice. He stopped in front of her. His black leather boots was what loomed her teary vision. "You just care too much."_

 _A hand was placed on top of her head, ruffled her hair softly, trying to soothe her down._

 _A single drop of crystal tear fell and rippled on the floor._

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

The sounds of hushed crying were the first thing that she heard as she stirred from her deep slumber. The smell of concentrated disinfectant assaulted her next and she gathered she was in St. Mungos. The sounds grew louder as her senses heightened and the wailing of Ginny pierced her ears.

 _What's going on?_

She gradually opened her eyes and blinked back the weariness and concentrating on focusing her vision on the scene in front of her. She tried lifting her arms but found them to be made of lead or quite possibly laden with weights as she couldn't raise them up. She could only move her fingers and the soft cotton material of the sheets scratched on her.

She saw Ginny and Blaise on the side of the bed with Ginny crying in his arms. Blaise was trying to console her and rubbing her back. But she saw he was not as calm as he was trying to appear to be. His shoulders were taut and the hard lines in his jaw told her he was trying not to cry as well.

A tuff of red hair on the floor by foot of the bed told her it was Ron and the soft sob was coming from him. Her vision swept back to Ginny and Blaise where she noticed a puff of unruly black hair beside them. Harry was slumped on the floor with his head bowed down, both hands on the floor as though they were the only thing keeping him upright. He was crying softly and she could clearly see tears falling on floor. Her heart clenched on seeing him like this.

 _Why are they crying?_

A soft noise on the other side of the lifted her vision and she saw Malfoy with a stricken look on his face, fist rolled tight and his stance rigid. She blinked on this image as if making that what she was seeing was not an illusion. She wondered what happened for them to act that way. She's not dreaming right?

 _Dreams…_

That one word and a barrier broke through her mind. Memories upon memories were pouring down through the rabbit hole and flashing right through her. She immediately closed her eyes as the visions of her alternate life swarmed on her. She nearly cried right there. _Sweet Merlin. I'm alive right?_ She desperately thought. This wasn't some twisted afterlife where a person who died will woke up in a bed frighteningly similar to St. Mungos. She didn't really remember what happened. The last thing she knew was falling in an endless abyss and hearing a tinkle of chains. _And a dream.. a memory of her crying… and rippling floors…_

She groaned, she really had to figure out which was real. Memories were still overlapping and by the end of the day, someone will confine her to the insanity ward on the fourth floor.

She couldn't move her body and she felt stiff all over the place, probably from lying in a bed for days. Her joints were protesting whenever she willed any limbs to move but at least she was alive. She made it past whatever gate she was supposed to pass.

 _I'm alive_

Those thoughts kept circling around her and she could never be more grateful. She knew she was losing herself back at her dream. She knew she was accepting it as her reality. If it weren't for Harry and Malfoy, she would have probably stayed there and lost herself.

First things first, she thought, she had to get her friends out of the stump they carved themselves into. And she still needed confirmation whether or not she was truly here. She needed to be 100% sure. With the way her brain was assaulted the past few days, she doesn't yet trust whatever came from it.

"Why are you guys crying as though someone has died?" She asked through her dry throat, surprised she still has some voice left though it came out hoarse and roughed. Although, she thought, she may have possibly died at some point.

Draco nearly broke his neck when he heard her voice and blinked stupidly seeing her awake. Silence immediately reigned in the room and nobody dared to breathe. They were looking at her and she was smiling tiredly at them. Those golden chocolate eyes shifted to him and held his for a fraction of a second before moving to the rest. He was tempted to touch her, to see if what he was seeing truly was real, but was afraid that maybe his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Please tell me that I'm alive." She said to them though her voice was weary and croaked. "At least I think I am."

His jaw nearly dropped at the sight. She's real. She's awake. He wasn't dreaming.

"Hermione!"

"Mione!"

"Hermione!"

Different voices screamed in all possible direction and Draco saw for the first time how precious she was to all of them. Potter nearly tripped himself rising up and launching at the bed. But he didn't falter and just cried and hug Granger for all she was worth. Ginny didn't hesitate and just threw herself on Granger and cried again, this time, he knew, with happiness. And Weasley took the other side of her bed. All in all, Granger had three people squashing at her.

And Granger was laughing and smiling at them and telling them they were squeezing her too hard she couldn't breathe.

He was watching her come alive.

A soft smirk made its way to him as he saw Potter bawling his eyes out as he clung to Granger. It's unbecoming of him, really, one of the best Aurors and there he was crying like a snot-faced toddler on a tantrum day. How very Gryffindor, he thought. Their emotions were really laid on their feet.

He conveniently decided to forget that he was as close to crying as he could and Potter and Weasley couldn't held it on his head lest they decided to use it as blackmail material for him. He chanced a look at Blaise and saw him grinning from ear to ear watching the scene unfold before him. He knew Granger and him become close soon after they formed a truce. And library sessions almost always include either Theo or Blaise with them. And Ginny was introduced to him through Granger one winter afternoon in one Hogsmeade expedition.

He supposed his work here was done, also, he knew the family and the rest of the Ginger heads will invade the room soon and he wished to be far from the picture as possible. He'd let Blaise handle the drama and the oncoming tear-jerking scenes that would come soon after. And he'd let them handle that utterly perplexing Healer who does nothing but shake his head. He was close to hexing that man.

Besides, he didn't think he had as much right to be here as they. He was only the coffee friend after all. And the occasional meal buddy, he mused. With that thought, he started to move towards the door.

Hermione didn't anticipate the reaction to be this extreme. She was trying to curb the crying and yet it would seem it only intensified. But she would expect nothing less from her friends. She would have probably reacted the same way.

She was extremely grateful she was alive. She'd be sure to thank all the Gods she knew she must have invoked for guiding her. She was not a religious person but she'd make an exception for this. Someone must have listened to her for giving her a miracle. For making sure she did not remain in that endless sea of blackness she found herself in before.

She sighed in relief. She was alive. That's all that matters. She was back to where she belonged. The only problem now was getting the three of her friends to let her breathe.

"I'm fine guys," she assured them.

To her confusion, the tears seemed to flow even more. Harry was crying on her neck as he clung to her, Ginny was on her chest and waist while Ron was on one of her arm. And she could do nothing but smile and laugh at them and tell them she needed air.

Through all the happiness and confusion and the tears, she was aware of the one person in the room who was content in watching her. She knew when the tension left his body the moment he realized she was alive. She was aware of the smile that graced his lips as he watched her friends nearly pummeled her to death. She was aware of the way his body moved seemingly wanting to touch if she was real and yet battling the urge to do so.

She was aware of when he decided to leave, of how he allowed himself to depart from the chaos that's about to unfold.

She was aware of when he turned his back and moved towards the door.

She knew how much she wished for him to stay, how much she wanted to hold him in hers. But she understood that it was only in her dreams he was hers. So she let him go.

If Draco were attentive of Hermione as much as she was, he would have noticed a pair of brown solemn eyes trained on him as he left.

He would have noticed a resigned smile as he pass through the door.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

She didn't know how long she could take the crying. Everyone she knew, the moment they entered the door, burst into tears. And Mrs. Weasley and her parents- they nearly crushed her bones when they saw her awake.

The day drained her immensely that she did not notice when she fell asleep even with the constant chatters bouncing on her room. Her body may have been resting for the past seven days, but her mind was in overdrive in her delirious state. As such, her mind gave in to the exhaustion and fell deeply into sleep.

Healer Ray also required her to stay put for three days to monitor her progress of recovery and to make sure no harmful side-effects of the poison lingers in her system. It's not as though she could protest much when faced with that healer and his band of stern mediwitches who will strap her to the bed if she even attempt of getting off of it.

It was already the afternoon the next day when she woke up and the usual crowd was still present. She had to assure everyone she was fine, yes she's still sore but nothing a good rest and excellent massage won't do, yes she won't forget to eat, and yes she'll make sure to call when something happens. It was more exhausting that trying to rankle her brain back then.

She managed to get almost everyone out including her parents after the constant assurance and she succumbed to sleep almost immediately when night fell. By morning the next day, it was only Harry who remained.

"Hey," he greeted her with a small smile on his face. He walked to her bed and took a seat by her side, a cup of coffee in his hands. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better than yesterday." She answered, eyes looking at the cup of coffee, the aroma enticing her. "Although I wouldn't mind a cup of tea and some bacon and eggs for breakfast." She said at Harry for since yesterday, she was eating horrible hospital foods which consist of bland omelet swimming in whatever gravy it was and mashed up fruits or questionable toast and what felt like cream cheese as spread with sausages and droopy vegetables. She was craving for some real food and swore right then and there she wouldn't let herself be put to St. Mungo's ever again.

Harry laughed at her and produced a brown bag from beneath him and handed it to her. "I know you'll be craving for something like this."

It was a Full English Breakfast with a cup of Earl Grey in a styrofoam cup bought at the café near her place. Her favorite place to get breakfast during her lazy off days.

She was grateful to Harry and promptly told him so but Harry just waved her thanks. "You would have done the same thing to us." He said.

With breakfast done, and Harry consuming at least 5 pieces of bagels and spilling crumbs on the bed, Hermione was contemplating the day while holding the cup of tea in her hands. How strange the events were, she recollected.

"So," Harry started and she looked up at his sparkling green eyes. "What do you remember?"

She paused before answering him. She was deliberating where she could start and what she could tell him. She didn't think she could live it down if he mocked her for having feelings with Draco Malfoy. But she knew deep down Harry wouldn't hold it against her somehow. He'd be the over-protective brother even if she was technically older than him, but her happiness always comes first to him.

"The dreams are strange as it was real," she began. "I remember waking up at my parents' house and wondering why I wasn't at Grimmauld place and why you brought me there until I saw how live in my room was. Everything was there, from books to clothes. The moment I realized something weird was going on was when I saw the collection of pictures on my mantle. It portrays events I knew didn't happen here. Like you winning the triwizard tournament. And… " She paused for a moment, "no mudblood scar."

She took a deep breath before continuing, grateful Harry wasn't interrupting her. "After that I went to Grimmauld place to look for you. I figured you'd have answers to whatever bizarre happening that was going on. Imagine my shock seeing Sirius there."

"Sirius?" Harry confirmed, his brows furrowing.

"Yes," she answered softly. "Broke down right then and there on the kitchen. You were living with Sirius to be close to the ministry. But your parents still live on Godric's Hollow."

"Oh Hermione" Harry whispered as he comprehended the direction her dream took.

"Voldemort didn't exist there Harry. You still have your family."

Harry grasped the cup of tea in her hands when he noticed the liquid started to shake. He pulled it out of her and placed the cup on the side table and gently held her hands to his own for comfort.

"I must have cried a lifetime worth of tears there already and you know I'm not that much of a crier," she told him. "You and Sirius helped me. Told me I was knocked down by an unstable dream potion at Hogwarts and every so often I have vivid dreams. That the life I have here is one big dream."

She paused and focused her sight on their clasped hands as Harry tightened his hold on her.

"I started to remember things there. Things I knew did not happen here… memories I have no recollections of. It was mad chaos Harry. I was remembering two life's worth of memories. I believe I must have gone insane. It was at that point I was beginning to accept that the dream was my reality. I mean, why would I want for you to have a life with no family over that one?

"And then you called Malfoy over. I think-" she hesitated. No, she thought. They have no secrets with each other. It was what made their bond so strong. "I think Malfoy- we're romantically involved." She finished softly and waited for the verdict that would come from Harry. She breathed a sigh of relief when none came. "He consoled me there and told me I would soon forget everything here. And I knew that what he was saying was true because I was starting to forget my life here the longer I stayed there. By mid-afternoon I could barely remember anything."

Harry realized that his earlier assumption of her dream was true. She always puts her friends first and it manifested in her dream. She gave him his family. And then there was Malfoy, whom Hermione secretly yearns for years. He wouldn't have known if he hadn't seen her memories. Either Hermione really was good at hiding her feelings or he was that oblivious to her. They were what kept her from coming back to this life.

"How did you come back? How did you remember?" He asked.

Hermione told him of how she heard Malfoy's voice and his, how he made her realized that she was under the dark sleep. That the conflicting dreams were pulling her and how she remembered what Malfoy told her regarding the poison. How the dream collapsed and threw her out on a loop. How she figured what needs to be done for her to wake up.

"You saved me you know." She squeezed his hand in hers. "Both of you did. I wouldn't realize I was in a dream if it weren't for you two. Especially you Harry. Don't think for one second you didn't save me because you did, in all ways. I could hear your desperation in calling me."

"Thank Malfoy," he told her honestly. "He found the ways to look for you. I'm sorry we had to enter your mind without your consent but it was the only way we knew how to find you. It took us two days before Malfoy was able to locate that black door that was holding you in."

She shook her head at him and gently smiled. "If you didn't, I wouldn't be here."

"But really Hermione? Malfoy?" A cheeky grin formed on Harry's face.

She laughed at him and the sound was one Harry wouldn't trade for anything else. "I'm not really sure how it happened Harry. It just did."

"You realize how much of a prat he is?"

"I'm not saying he isn't. He knows it too and he revels in it. Probably thought himself as King."

They continued to bicker on the redeeming and not-so-redeeming qualities of one Draco Malfoy that they failed to detect a presence outside the slightly open door.

Draco Malfoy was listening in on them as he leant on the wall by the door before walking away.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

"I think you should go to him." Harry told Hermione on the afternoon of her release at St. Mungos while they were waiting for the mediwitch to bring them the paperwork that needed signing at the checkout counter. She knew who he was pertaining to. Since yesterday she was wondering why Malfoy hadn't graced them with his presence since she woke up.

She had asked Harry what memories they saw in her mind and he had told her that he saw pretty much everything. They had two days of looking after all and that's what she was afraid of. If Harry saw her memories of Malfoy, it's safe to assume Malfoy did as well. Would it affect their partnership? She doesn't want their dynamics to change just because she harbors a little bit of unrequited feelings. She promised she was trying to squash it.

"C'mon mate," Ron whined. "You're seriously okay with Hermione dating Malfoy?" His faced was a mixture of revulsion and shock, like he'd eaten rotten food on a summer day.

"Technically, I'm not dating him." Hermione answered for Harry. "And you seriously don't believe he's the same boy he was back then do you? We've been partners for years. If he's aiming to harm me, he would have done so way back when we first started our careers as Aurors."

"But- But-" Ron sputtered. "It's Malfoy!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. He could really be childish most of the time and she doesn't think it was gonna change soon. She saw the mediwitch finally arrived but Hermione paid her no mind as Harry was the one who will sign her release papers.

"Yes and I'm Hermione." She said patronizing him. "Your point?"

Harry laughed beside them when he finished signing the release papers. "Give it up mate." He said to Ron while placing her arm across the shoulders of Hermione. "Our little princess is all grown up now. She has to want a prince. A Slytherin Prince to be exact."

Hermione would have socked her elbow at Harry's ribs if she weren't giggling at the appalling face of Ron. "For that comment Harry, you are the one who's cooking tonight."

"Anything for the Princess," he said as he stirred her towards the corridor of St. Mungo's where the Floo Network was housed. "You know we are your lowly servants."

Hermione could only shake her head at him while smiling.

They were given another week off for her recovery but Harry told her Lynch was sure to beat their asses when they return. All for missing two weeks of work. She could already see the amount of mission lined up for them and the massive paperwork that would soon follow. Lynch could sometimes really be a slave driver, a devil in disguise really.

No rest for the wicked, he once told them after Harry had a nasty bruise following a particularly brutal mission.

Amidst the pandemonium of her return to Grimmauld Place, and Kreacher doting on her as soon as she stepped out of the floo, the words Harry said to her kept badgering her all throughout the afternoon and during their dinner.

"Do you think I really should?" She couldn't help but asked Harry while washing the dishes and Harry was drying them. Sometimes they really couldn't let go of their Muggle roots and doing something the muggle way feels sort of therapy for them.

"Hmm?"

"Go to Malfoy. I'm not sure why I should. But it's just that- I mean-" She stammered and it seldom happened that she was lost for words. And it was true. She really has no reason to go to him and she didn't know why she was considering it.

"I think you two needs to talk."

"I just don't see why we should. Can we pretend that he didn't see anything and we could just go back to the way it was? I promised it won't affect the team."

"I'm not disputing that whatever is going on with you will affect the team but I know you and sooner or later the tension's going to eat the both of you." He paused while still scrubbing the plate dry. "And I think you'd be surprised at what he's gonna say. And we both know Malfoy's too much of a coward when it comes to confrontation like this. Where's your Gryffindor courage?" He added after he placed the plate to the side rack.

She paused in her washing to look at Harry. It doesn't take a genius to know that he knew something. He really couldn't be subtle even if his life depended on it. The mirth on his lips was a dead giveaway if not for the mischief his eyes possessed.

"What do you know Harry? You wouldn't press me this much unless you know something." She narrowed her eyes at him and scrutinized his face.

Harry sighed at her and gently reached for her and embraced her not minding the soap suds that decorated her arms. Hermione smiled, being reminded of the same scenario back in her dream where Harry consoled her at this very same kitchen. No matter the circumstance, she always found comfort in his embrace.

"You know I love you Hermione" Harry soothingly told her. "You'll always be my family. We look out for each other and I care very much for your happiness." He pulled slightly from her to place both his hands on her shoulders. "Just trust me on this. Go to him. I'm not sure what would happen but I guarantee he cares about you more than he let on. But you know how he is. The only way for him to talk is to corner him."

A kiss was placed on her forehead and they resumed their tedious chore.

She decided to give Harry the benefit of the doubt and just go to him after washing the dishes. She didn't want to dwell on what would happen seeing as she was as clueless as she was before. She also didn't want to wait the next morning lest her newfound bravery somehow dwindled. Truth be told, she want to see him soon even if she just look from afar. It's enough for her being able to have him as her partner and she didn't want to disrupt that relationship.

 _It's enough having him by my side_

Malfoy Manor is an enigma in enormous proportions. But gone were the dark walls and the grim atmosphere of which it was known before. The moment the war ended, Mrs. Malfoy had done a complete renovation of the place and transformed the gloomy halls into something whose ambience was as welcoming as a cup of steaming hot chocolate on a cold winter's day.

Hermione stepped out of the floo and was immediately greeted by Tiny, one of the house elves of the Manor. One of the things that surprised her was the treatment the family bestowed on their elves, from the clothes they wore to the loyalty they devote on the family. They have come a long way from the once maltreatment of elves they were famous for.

"Missy Hermione," Tiny greeted jovially. "Welcome back. Does Missy Hermione want something to drink?"

"Hello Tiny. I'm just here to see Draco Malfoy. Do you know where he might be?"

"Master Draco is in the Family Library Missy."

She gave her thanks of gratitude to the tiny elf and assured her she could find her way to the Library and yes she'll be fine on her and for her not to worry.

Hermione never imagined she would enjoy trekking through the halls of Malfoy Manor but the collection of original paintings and hallway decorative pieces that they have was enough to capture her interest. Malfoy knew each and every piece there was in the Manor and he taught her and showed her the history and she had enjoyed learning the objects she had come across to.

She walked past room after room and climbing the stairs to the second floor that would take her directly to the small ballroom. She planned to cut through the ballroom to take her on the opposite hallway that house the doors to the library.

All through her walk she did not allow herself to think incriminating thoughts. She distracted herself by looking at the hallway pieces she has come to love and drawing interesting patterns on the carpet she trudged on or waving at the portraits on the walls that greeted her.

No need to be nervous Hermione, she scolded herself. Can't a friend stopped by for a visit?

She went past the double doors of the ballroom and saw another set of brown double doors at the end of the hallway that she knew was the entrance to the Library, her favorite place in the whole manor. A sense of calmness engulfed her thinking of the books housed in that room. Her gait was lifted and purposely strolled towards the doors. She paused for a moment by the large window which overlooked the garden and saw the blooming roses which were cared for personally by Mrs. Malfoy and she wondered how the matriarch was doing.

She stopped in front of the doors, paused for a moment to admire the intricate carvings and took a large breathe.

 _Now or never Hermione._ The same words she pronounced to herself before.

Three knocks and she entered. She didn't imagine she would see what she saw but she did. And she should have expected it, she thought.

 _Harry was wrong_

There was Draco Malfoy standing by the lounge couch in the middle of the room, Astoria Greengrass inches from his face.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

Draco Malfoy desperately wished he could be anywhere but where he currently was: having dinner with his mother, Mrs. Greengrass and Astoria. His mother was shooting him apologetic looks all throughout and he really couldn't blame her. His mother and Mrs. Greengrass was supposed to have tea and talked about whatever gossip they could monger but it would seem Astoria decided to invite herself in and tagged along. Now he was to endure dinner with three ladies who talked nothing but this and that and who was with whom or what places to see.

Every minute he nearly groaned in exasperation at the squeals his ears has to endure coming from the younger Greengrass. Custom dictates he has to act as scion as the house of Malfoy see fit but anymore talks about dresses and he would bleed. Literally.

He distracted himself by thinking of the past days and specifically of Hermione Granger. He would have returned to St. Mungos but he knew the room was crawling with redheads and he could tolerate enough for one day. He opted to make sure none was in the room before his visit.

 _I wonder how she's doing now_

He knew this was the day she would have checked out of St. Mungo's. Per standard procedure, a patient has to stay for at least three days when inflicted with life threatening health condition for progress monitoring. Merlin knows how much he was admitted there together with Potter and Weasley due to the severity of their mission and he wasn't looking forward to their next.

He recalled his visit yesterday morning. He chanced an early visit hoping there would be no visitors yet. The door was already ajar when he got there, and of course, Potter was already present. He rolled his eyes at that. Trust Potter not to leave the hospital.

He would have barged in without so much as leave from the two when the rich laughter from Granger stopped him from his tracks. Well that was forthcoming, he thought. Glad that she was doing alright to be able to laugh like that. It must have been the absence of the Ginger family. Anyone subjected to their presence is detrimental to anyone's health.

He opted to remain by the door and silently watched the exchanges of the two. In retrospect, he managed to listen in to the recollection of Granger. As the story progressed, a momentary though flittered through his mind. It would seem Potter was right when he assumed that whatever was holding her back were both him and Potter. She truly was a selfless Gryffindor. Any doubts on whether she was in love with him flew to the window when he heard her admission on their relationship in her dream and truth be told, he didn't know what to do with that information.

 _Don't you want to keep her by your side?_

That nagging voice pressed on him and he truly does wish to keep her, in whatever ways possible. He didn't want to burst the bubble formed between the two friends that he just stood by the door and listened. He was pleasantly surprised on Granger figuring out the way out her dream and was pleased that what they did on her mind seemed to have helped her escaped. For that he would be eternally grateful for his abilities.

A screechy laughter brought him out of his reverie and he caught the words roses and violets and winter snows. What are they going on about now? He sullenly thought. He reached for his glass of wine and sipped, all the while thinking whether to ask Granger to dinner tomorrow or just barged in on her flat and just drag her somewhere, anywhere, as he usually does when the mood struck him.

He was in the middle of swallowing a mouthful of wine when he heard a statement that made him almost spit the wine he was drinking. He choked instead.

"Oh, a winter wedding sounds marvelous for you and Draco-" Mrs. Greengrass told her daughter in delight.

When the choking stopped, with the house elf bringing him a glass of water, he looked incredulously at his mother who was harboring a shocked expression on her own.

"Wedding?" He asked confusingly in suppressed anger. "Whoever said anything about a wedding?" He nearly gritted his teeth at his mention of that.

Mrs. Greengrass looked at him in astonished surprise. "Why Draco, Of course yours and Astoria's Wedding. We were just talking about how well you two are good together and –"

 _Oh Hell no_

He didn't let her finish and abruptly cut her off. "There will be no wedding anytime soon Mrs. Greengrass. Your daughter is an imprudent bitch who thought her above anyone else but cannot even hold conversation without my ears cringing in protest." The tone in his voice was as cold as the tundra ice. "I accompany her to the request of my mother and your daughter but that's about it."

He looked at his mother who was smiling at him gently. He knew his mother wouldn't hold this against him. Still, they were family friends and he doesn't wish to burn bridges, although his statement earlier might have done just that. Hopefully, he could exit before the shock worn off from the two Greengrass women.

"If you'll excuse me ladies." He stood up, bowed his head slightly and walked around the table to kiss his mother on the cheek. A proud smile adorned her face. He gave her a warm smile before walking away from the room not once giving a fleeting glance to the other two ladies present.

His exit in the room was dramatic but he didn't care in the slightest. What he needed was to drink something stronger to wash the foul taste of conversation he endured during dinner, and possibly somewhere where he could calm down else he was gonna throw something. He didn't think his mother would appreciate seeing the scattered remains of whatever stuffs in the house he fancied throwing.

 _Firewhisky and a trip to the Library sound about right_

The thought made him stop and groaned while he rubbed his eyes. _Sweet Salazar,_ he thought. He was turning into his partner. Since when did books or a trip to the library become his sanctuary? Granger was clearly rubbing off on him. He blames their weekly trips to the bookstore and café.

Regardless of whether he was acquiring the habits of Granger or not, he still made his way to his intended destination. He made a quick trip to the study room to acquire a bottle of firewhisky and whisky glass before strutting to the doors of the Library.

The relative silence filled him as he closed the doors of the library and he sauntered to the lounge in the center of the room. Topping his glass with at least three fingers high of firewhiskey, the smell of the liquor engulfed his sense. Savoring the peace, he picked up the book he left on the center table and made himself comfortable, all the while thinking whether something will change in his partnership with Granger.

Will there be tension? Would it go away if they just ignored it? Probably?

Knowing Granger, he didn't think there would be any. She was a professional first, feelings be damned if she let it get in between their mission. But for him, this was a territory he hasn't ventured before. Truth be told, he didn't know how he would react when he saw her again. It's why he opted to walk away from her room twice. He wasn't cut out for any confrontation. He was the type to cast hexes first before asking questions.

He realized he wasn't doing much reading when he was still on the same page for the past couple of minutes. Granger wasn't there yet she was still able to distract him. He sighed. Perhaps it would be best to just sleep and deal with the turmoil of feelings he had in the morning. Malfoys really doesn't do emotions pretty well.

He knocked down his shot of whiskey in one gulp and brought the book down and was getting ready to leave when he heard movements down the hall. The door slightly opened and the figure of Astoria Greengrass appeared. He groaned at the sight. She just can't leave him alone can't she?

"Astoria," he addressed her calmly. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" Sarcasm nearly dripping in his words.

She walked towards him and stopped a few feet away from where he stood. "Draco, aren't you going to join us?"

How daft could she be? He thought. "I did leave earlier and has no intention of listening to you ladies gossip all night. Would that be all? If so, I will take my leave."

"Is what you said tonight true? About getting married."

His annoyance flared dangerously. He couldn't remember ever giving any indication that he wanted to marry her. Yes he accompanied her to where she wants to go but that's about it. He didn't even hold her hand yet she was the one who latched on to him. "Astoria," he said as calmly as he could. "I did not even court you nor ask for your hand in marriage."

"But our parents-"

"What part of no did you not understand? My mother has no say on who I can or cannot marry. She will not be brought into this." He swore when the war ends he would not do any things that he will regret and he wasn't about to start now. He knew where she was leading. The Malfoy family has always prided themselves in being the purest of the pure. It was always assumed from their society, be it from the pureblood or the upper echelon that he would choose someone of equal rank.

"I know what you want Astoria. You want a pureblood husband with a substantial vault to sustain your lifestyle." She looked like she was about to protest but he didn't gave her the chance. "I'm friends with your sister and I treat you as such. I don't want this to ruin the family connection. But press this and I will not hesitate to remove myself from your acquaintance."

She grimaced at him and he was pleased to note that his words had an effect on her. "Don't you think marriage between our families would strengthen your family's image on the pureblood circle and business?"

"I could care less on that. We're doing fine ourselves and the business is doing well on its own." And it was true. Little by little the Malfoy name has been rising from the depths of shame they were placed in after the war, largely thanks to his constant effort in bringing down wanted criminals as an Auror and donating ample amount to charities. Of course it helped that he was in the company of the golden trio themselves.

"But-"

"Astoria." He said her name in warning. She was pushing it a little too far.

She finally sighed at him and conceded. "I still think you're making a big mistake. How about a parting hug at least before I leave?"

 _Just like that?_ He thought. Too easy. He doesn't believe she would give in that easily but with no concrete evidence to back that theory, he could only make assumptions.

Since he hadn't given any signal whether he consented or not, Astoria took his silence as the affirmative and move towards him. Her hand moved towards his neck and was surprised by the strength her hold possessed. A manipulative smile was present on her face and he would have applauded her tactics if he wasn't busy trying to remove himself from her grasp. He gripped her arms and tried to remove those offending appendages from him without hurting her. His mother would kill him if he harms even a tiny fragment of hair on her little head.

Her face, leaning towards him, was inches from his own.

It would be frozen in hell before he so much as let himself kiss her.

He heard three knocks on the door before it opened. The surprised face of Granger emerged from the door seeing the two of them.

He didn't know if he would be mortified to be caught in this position or thankful for the interruption.

But then, he would have assumed the worse if it was him.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

Hermione blinked once, then again, and then another just to see if what she was seeing was real. Given that the image before him was not disappearing, it was safe to say her mind wasn't playing tricks on her again.

It took a while before the reality of the situation hit her. It was her fault really. What was she trying to accomplish by coming here?

 _I'm never taking advice from Harry ever again. This wouldn't be the first time he's wrong anyway._

The intimate position of the couple before her made her mortified. She should have knocked harder or waited for the confirmation that she could enter. _Where did your manners go Hermione?_ She could blame Malfoy for this. His constant disregard for privacy was rubbing off on her.

She flushed when she realize she was still staring. She felt her heart drop the moment her eyes laid on them and was doing her utmost best in ignoring the telltale sign of her heart breaking when she realize what she interrupted.

 _Gods, how stupid could I really be? Why didn't I call first? Of course he has plans tonight._

She willed herself to ignore the stabbing pain constricting in her chest like every other time she saw the couple. It wouldn't do anyone good if she bared her heart and soul especially in the presence of his girlfriend. She decided to be selfless and acted blasé as if unconcerned.

"I- I-" She stuttered and the feeling of shame grew when she couldn't even form words coherent enough. "I'm sorry. I'm-" She fisted her fist in her chest hoping the added pressure would remove the tightening strain she felt. _Stay strong Hermione._ She controlled her breathing and with one deep breath of air, her resolved strengthened. "Malfoy, Ms. Greengrass, I apologize for the interruption." _She wasn't trembling right?_

Malfoy looked like he was about to interrupt her but she couldn't give him the liberty of doing so. She has to say what she needs to say and haul her ass out of the place. "Nothing to worry Malfoy. This could wait for another day." _Or never,_ she thought. "Goodnight. I'll see you back at work." Before he could say anything or do anything, she waved them goodbye, fled past the door and disappeared down the endless hallways.

Draco was rooted the moment he saw Granger. He never imagined she would come seeking for him. He truly underestimated the bravery of a Gryffindor in all aspects. But then she fled and he all but dislodged himself from the hold Astoria has on him without harming her.

 _Fuck this._

He has more pressing concerns than chewing off Astoria for the stunt she pulled. Right now he needed pursue her. He had a feeling that if he didn't, this would be blown to bits in magnanimous proportion.

 _Didn't Potter say anything to her?_

He assumed, given her friendship with Potter and how nosey the git can be, that he would have said something to Granger in regards to his relationship with Astoria. _Apparently not._ From the way she caught them, she would assume she interrupted a liaison of sorts. It would explain her hasty departure.

Free from the tangling limbs of Astoria, he moved towards the door and prepared himself for the dash that he would undoubtedly perform. He only had taken a few steps when something grabbed hold of his arm and stopped him in his tracks. He knew who it was without looking back. "Astoria, I suggest you let go of my arm before I do something about it." He was already losing precious time and he wouldn't stand for more.

"Granger?" She shrilled to him. "You're leaving me for Granger?" The disbelief was evident in her tone.

He held the scathing words at the tip of his tongue for he knew it would leave the girl in a sobbing mess and he didn't value another meeting with Mrs. Greengrass. He only sighed at her and gently extracted his arm from her. "Yes," he answered her truthfully. "And I'd do more than just follow her." Not wanting to explain himself, he quickly left the room before she could decipher the meaning behind his words.

His words were nothing but the truth. He'd follow her even to the ends of the earth. He doesn't want to acknowledge what he felt before, always chugging it off as his fondness for her, but now, with the possibility of her closing off from him, he wouldn't stand to it. His heart must have always known the truth but his mind was still living on the other side of the wall of denial. It really isn't just a river in Egypt.

 _Was it out of fear?_

He was terrified of being handed something precious. Up until that point he didn't think he deserved it. Many would agree that he was not even worthy to be standing near the golden trio.

He may have walk away from her twice, afraid that what he felt was consuming him but this time he'll be chasing after her. He wouldn't let his fear dictate his actions any longer.

He wouldn't let himself run away from her anymore. He wouldn't let her flee either.

It's time she knew the truth.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

Hermione sprinted to the foyer as fast as she could. She would have taken the floo back to Grimmauld place but she didn't venture running into Harry and asking her what happened until she calmed down. Her only option was to apparate out of the manor. It would constitute for her taking the longer route and departing outside the gates but it was the better option for her. It would be best if she could calm her tension wrought heart before she could face her friends. She didn't think she could handle the pity look that would no doubt come from Harry. She would eventually need him to distract her from the deep recess of depression she knew would follow her but right now, she needed to be strong for herself. She has to.

She figured everything would be back to normal anyway. _If this is a phase, she hoped it would end soon._

She was almost by the entrance door, her freedom just a breath away when someone called her that made her paused from opening the door. She nearly groaned in exasperation but it would be rude to ignore the matriarch of the house she was currently escaping from. As such, she faced Mrs. Malfoy and placed a gentle smile on her face, quite the opposite from the turmoil she felt.

"Mrs. Malfoy," She greeted her. "Good Evening."

Narcissa Malfoy addressed her with open arms and gently air kissed her on her side with no contempt. This was the girl who saved her son and as she slowly became familiar with the girl, she appreciated all that she has done for Draco and in extension, to her. "Ms. Granger, a pleasure to see you. Were you just leaving?"

"Yes I am." Hermione answered her truthfully. She knew Mrs. Malfoy could detect a lie a mile away and she herself wasn't a very good liar anyway. But she didn't have to tell the whole truth either. "I just came to speak with Draco about something but he was busy tonight." She said as she fought wringing her hands. "I told him it wasn't that important anyway and it could wait. I hope I'm not keeping you from something?"

"I just escorted a family friend at the floo room. I was just returning back. Are you sure it could wait? We could wait in the drawing room."

Hermione thought that was considerate of her but she has no intention of staying longer. She gave Mrs. Malfoy a thankful smile. "Thank you for the offer but I better be leaving. Harry is waiting for me." Technically, it was true. Harry was indeed waiting for her but not that instant.

"Alright. Safe travel dear."

"Thank you again. I'm sorry for interrupting your evening. I'll see you again soon." She bid her good night and with an appreciative smile, smoothly opened the door and escaped to the crisped evening air.

She trudged her way to the cobblestone walkway and momentary petted the two albino peacocks that were always glad to see her before hurrying towards the gate. _Now where to go? She thought._ She was anxious to exit that she forgot the most important bit of her leaving, her escape destination.

She could always have a bit of ice cream before going home, she thought and made a mental list of which shop she could go to. _Ice cream, gelato or maybe yogurt,_ she mused, or a frappucino. Thinking how long it was since her last trip to Starbucks. The thought was already cheering her up. Whatever her decision may be, she figured she'd make it when she arrived at West End London.

Gladly making her way to the gate and swiftly opened the high arch iron clad black gates, she was never more pleased of the quick transport of wizards as compared to muggles when she prepared herself to apparate. A quick flick of a wand, and she was gone.

If she had looked back at the manor, she would have seen the Draco Malfoy by the door with a stricken look on his face as she apparated away.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

 _Fuck!_

The curses kept spewing on his mind as he saw Granger walked past the gates and disappeared to Merlin knows where. There are thousands of places she could have gone to and if he knew Granger as well as he should, she would have disappeared in Muggle London. He'd be swallowed alive in there. God knows all his excursions down there were always in the company of Granger. Too many streets, too many establishments, too many muggles. He groaned.

 _How am I to find her there at this rate?_ He frustratingly thought. His anxiety rolling in waves around him.

He was pacing back and forth, he knew, by the foyer with the door wide open. He would burn the carpet at the rate he's going. Funny thing was, he didn't think he realized what he was doing. He was too deep in his thought, listing every possible location he knew she could go to, every café, every bookstore they went before, every restaurant they have eaten at and every museums and theatres they had visited. There are hundreds in Coventry and Leicester alone.

 _Fuck_

His pacing increased and his mother sighed by the corner chair of the room, hands placed at the white circular marble side table adorned with an assortment of roses in a tasteful white vase. "Draco dear, you are giving me a headache with your pacing."

"I'm thinking mother." His voice laced in irritation.

"You could have found her by now with all the pacing you've done." His mother stated to him in point of fact and he moaned in exasperation.

"Mother," his voice nearly whining. "You haven't been to muggle London. There are millions and millions of places she could have gone to." And he very well couldn't ask Potter for help. Hell would freeze over before he does so.

"Well, where could she have gone to?"

"What do you think I've been doing? Of course I've not been thinking of possible places she'd go to and just waiting for tea to arrive."

His mother wasn't the least bit phased at the mocking tone his son possessed. "You've been partners since the war ended. You know her best. If she's upset, what does she do? Where does she go?"

"She-" he stopped and thought of Granger's habits, coincidentally so, his pacing stopped as well. She seldom cried unless increasingly frustrated and even then it only lasted for a few minutes. All the time she's upset, she demands he joins her for a breather, as she called it. They would browse for books and just sit at her favorite cafés and talk about random subjects.

All the time when he was a kid he believed her intelligence was limited to Hogwarts. It wasn't until he has known her that he was able to gauge the level of her intellect. She was a genius with borderline photographic memory. He was no slouch himself and he enjoys the scholarly and academic discussions they delved into. She taught him chemistry, theories of physics and complex mathematics he had no idea even exist. He was particularly fascinated by the chemical reactions of the elements that made up this world, of the simplest things, even water. It was a direct counterpart of potions. In return, he taught her magic in books only found in the vast library of Malfoy Manor, of fae and elemental magic, magic infusions and esoteric manipulations.

They would always go from one café to the next but there always was a pattern. She would always buy a book first. She said it was a tradition from her father from when she was small. Her father would read her a story when she was upset until she could read herself. That doesn't still answer his question. There are hundreds of bookstores in London, he knew.

The foreboding headache was looming and he gently massaged his temples just to avoid it. He saw his mother drinking a cup of tea by the table, probably served by a house elf when he wasn't looking, but his eyes were fixed at the pale peach saucer rimmed in gold. It wasn't the saucer itself that held his attention, but its connotation. It reminded him greatly of cakes.

 _It's possible_

She knew she had a sweet tooth as much as he does. From the deprivation of sweets she'd been subjected to as a child, what with both parents as dentist, she was compensating now as an adult. He shuddered the first time Granger explained to him what a dentist does. He could never fathom why he'd want other people poking at his mouth with metal things and Granger had the audacity to laugh at him.

Every moment she's downhearted, she'd cheer herself with a slice of cake, ice cream, some French macaroons or maybe eclairs. He mused, there are only a handful of teashop and coffee shops she preferred and that cut down his choices profoundly. With the time that passed, she must have already brought herself a book, he pondered.

"May I ask why it's important for you to hunt her down at this time of the night?" His mother's question cut through his thoughts and he looked up at her surprised.

 _Why though?_

His brows burrowed at the question that made his thoughts flew past the door. The corner of his mouth twitched upward as he considered the question. "With all the wrong things that happened to us, to me," he answered his mother slowly, "She is the only thing that I considered that's right. She saw me for who I am, no matter the face I wear. I can't really explain. It's just the way she takes me to places where no one else can."

He laughed humorlessly as he recalled the events earlier. "She caught me with Astoria earlier and decided to be true to her house and be all noble like. What she didn't see was me prying Astoria off from clinging like a leech. I have this hunch that if I don't straighten this now, she'd finally move forward and leave me behind."

He was only realizing this now but she was everything he wanted to reach. He deftly wondered why his feelings for Granger suddenly were moving on a fast-forward track. It could be because of the near death scare of almost losing her that put things into perspective for him.

"I take it you know where she's gone to?" His mother stated to him.

"I know where she MIGHT have gone to. The area is massive but as you said, I know Granger." He smirked at his mother and she could only shake her head at him at his overconfidence, far from the distraught disposition he was in before.

Even if it would take him all night, he'd find her.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

She was reading a copy of _Magyk by Angie Sage,_ a book she purchased impulsively when she saw it displayed on the window of Foyles at Charing Crossroad before apparating to the nearest port at Covent Garden. She wanted something light tonight as opposed to _The Book Thief by Markus Zusak._ A venti sized, ice blended coffee lay at one side and a slice of sinfully delicious chocolate velvet cake that's already half eaten lay at the other. She would have gone to Costo Coffee or even Timberyard but due to the time restraint and early closing hours, she'd gone to Starbucks instead.

Her mood cheered considerably as the time went up and never noticed that an hour has already passed. As she engrossed herself in the book, lost in the Marram Marshes and the walls of The Castle, she never allowed her thoughts to stray to Draco Malfoy.

Or to Harry Potter

 _This is his entire fault,_ she seethed earlier. _I'd blast him to the moon and back the moment I see him. I'd boxed his ears so bad and tear him a new one._

But violent thoughts flew from her mind with one sip of coffee and one bite of the cake, a book held in her hand, soft music in the background and she settled seemingly with no care in her surroundings. In her world, this was paradise.

Like all good things, everything must come to an end when she saw the time being a quarter past nine. She may have taken longer than she intended, but when absorbed in the words that makes up a world unlike her own, time tends to flew past her head. She nimbly gathered her things, her mobile phone for emergency use placed in her pocket, wallet in the other, jacket in position, the book held in one hand and the half drank frappucino in the other.

She longed for days like this, when it was just her. Seldom was she given reprieved from the constant people and between the three of them, pertaining to her, Harry and Ron, the amount of people that were always in their company were endless, even in the confines of Grimmauld Place.

There was a spring in her step as she walked to the exit and she knew her day was excellently capped with coffee. There were still three days until her forced vacation was over, maybe she could persuade Harry and Ron to see the London Coffee Festival with her tomorrow at the Old Truman Brewery. She knew she couldn't convince the two when it comes to watching a musical or a play but if its free food, then she could immediately sign them up.

The frosty spring evening air hit her face as soon as she stepped off the premises but welcomed the solace it brought. It was a clear night and people were still strolling and cruising the streets despite the lateness of the hour. Spring celebration certainly was in the air.

Prepared to go home, she took one step to the direction of the apparition point when someone yelled behind her. "Finally!" Immediately, reflex kicking into high gear, she moved her book beneath her arm and clasped the wand in her pocket. She couldn't pull it out, not without some muggles noticing but at least she could draw it if deemed necessary. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on who's viewing the situation, the wand was deemed unwarranted as the smirking face of Draco Malfoy faced her.

Her brows shot up in the air as the vision in front of her registered. Draco Malfoy was sitting like a King-in-waiting by the outside tables, legs deftly crossed and head leaning on his hands.

 _What the-? How did he-?_

"Really Granger," his smirk widened at her perplexed state, "One would think you're deprived of coffee by the size you're drinking and the length of time to finish it. I've emptied mine ages ago." He indicated at the empty cup in the middle of the table.

That was unexpected.

"How did you-? When-?" Questions filtered through her and seemed to come out all at the same time. She settled for the last. "What are you doing here?"

"If there's one thing that Muggles are good at, it's how they make coffee." That annoying smile was still etched on his face and it unnerved her. He was hiding something.

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"Don't you think it's perfectly reasonable to purchase one excellent cup of coffee especially when I've been sitting my ass out in this establishment?"

"Isn't it a coincidence that your choice of shop coincides with mine?" She may have raised her eyebrow at him but there was a twitch in her lips that shows she was amused by him. She may not know why he was here, or why he, dare she say it, followed her, but seeing him there, dressed in casual clothes, she really doesn't care.

He was striking in the soft café light and the gentle breeze swayed his hair in chaotic array that only increased his charm. She was mesmerized by his gaze that glowed silver under the low light. It was enough to halt whatever thoughts circled in her mind.

"Perhaps." He answered evadingly and enjoyed the fact that he was annoying her to no end.

Hermione could only shook her head at him as she waited for him to gather himself. She watched him stood up and slightly stretched, his lithe muscles flexing under his clothes and she was struck with the urge to feel with her hands, to feel his soft skin under her touch. A vision from her dream crossed her mind, of soft touches and gentle fingers.

 _Get a grip Hermione!_ She scolded herself. _You can't! Whatever it is you're thinking, stop it!_

 _He's not yours._ She reminded herself bitterly.

Draco Malfoy was deliberately taunting her. He was pleased to note the firm grip she did on her book and coffee cup when he stretched. His grin widen when her eyes avoided looking at any part of him. Her reactions were priceless to him. This was payback for making him rip through the city peeking at every coffee shop, tea shop and café she favors. It was the 5th shop he peered through when he realized that most of them had closed or were closing already and he knew only one that's open until late into the night. Hoping that his guess was correct, he crossed every Starbucks he knew or ever visited. Covent Garden was the third on his list.

He immediately saw her by the window at the back for there was no mistaking that hair of hers and the breath that he didn't realized he was holding was released. Shoulders wrought with tension slowly eased and a soft smile graced his lips as he viewed her serene aura. How afraid he was that he may have missed her.

A gentle tinkle of the door roused him from his observation of her. Based on the half eaten cake and still full drink on the table, it's going to be a long wait as he knew Granger tends to forget the time when reading a book. A grande sized iced caramel macchiato in hand, he opted to sit outside and enjoy and spring breeze and observe the throngs of people that still lingered on the street. He didn't want to disturb the bubble of contentment that surrounded her. Well, not yet anyway as a mad plan was forming in his head.

Hermione's eyes narrowed when Malfoy positioned himself slightly behind her side. There was always at least a foot of space between them. It was their general unspoken rule. The cheeky smile he gave her ultimately made her suspicious. _What was he playing at?_

There was a slight nudge at her lower and she stilled herself. The feel of his hands on her back elicited a gut clenching response from her and she hated herself for it.

 _Gods, one little touch and you lose it Hermione._

"I suggest you move your little feet unless you want to be the new door, Hermione." It took all she had not to squeak when Malfoy found it necessary to speak by her ear. _Since when does he call me by my name?_

 _What in Merlin's Beard is he doing?_

She hastily moved forward to the end of the street leaving Malfoy behind. Hearing the chuckle behind her, her annoyance was rising, far from the peace she found herself earlier. She was this close to decking her partner.

He was enjoying himself far too much. If he'd known much earlier that this was better than riling her up, he should have done these ages ago. Very few things made Granger mystified and it seems he was one of those things. This was a definite improvement in their partnership.

He knew she was confused by him as he saw the hard lines on her face and the slight creased of her brows and he pushed her further. A perplexed Granger is a verbose Granger. Sooner or later she wouldn't be able to resist shooting him down. His smirk widened at the challenged. He's definitely up for that. The giddy feeling was growing. This was a new level of enjoyment for him.

The apparition point is just at the end of the other street. By the second corner, he lessened their distance to a few inches and let her hands and arms brushed her side and he felt her tensed up. A couple more steps, in the shade of a layer of buildings, she turned back and faced him, eyes boring through him in intense glare.

"What's wrong with you?" She demanded in hard tone and crossed arms. "What game are you playing?"

Hands in pockets he leveled his gaze and with a soft smile, he answered, "Who says I'm playing anything?"

She scrutinized his face, looking for any signs of mischievousness. She was instantly reminded of her cat, Crookshanks whenever he did something but acted as though he was innocent. She'd be more successful looking for a white cat in a snowstorm than getting answers from Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing here anyway?" She knew he wasn't the type to just venture in the Muggle world casually. Not without an agenda, she believed.

He shrugged in a nonchalant posed. "I was bored?" There was a pause as he contemplated the answer he would give. He decided to be somewhat truthful. "And I was looking for an escapee."

She raised her eyebrow at that. She wasn't a runner. Her ankles weren't ready for that kind of sprint. She hasn't got the stamina for it. She sighed in spite of herself. Maybe this was the talk that Harry was pushing her to.

"Malfoy, about those memories," she wavered but continued even with the dread forming in her stomach. "I don't want things to be different just because-"

Her talk was interrupted by a loud honk of a car by the road when two people traversed the crossing not minding the road signals. Maybe this was a sign. Fate really was conspiring against her even if she technically doesn't believe in that nonsense.

"We should take this somewhere private." Draco suggested. He wasn't about to let the night end without some clarification on both their ends. He wanted her and Salazar be damned if he let her go again. This time, there will be no more running for both of them. He'd make sure to cross the finish line with her by his side.

Hermione took them to one of her favorite place in all of London, at the bell tower of St. Paul's Cathedral. She may not be religious as her family followed no religion, but this place brought calmness and serenity she couldn't explain. Maybe it manifested in her given that this was a church and people sought solace in these walls but it was a feeling she welcomed.

"Where are we?" Draco asked as he circled the bell tower. Pillars of marbles and stones surrounded them and the majestic four bells hanged on their head. The vibration of the bells rang through their chests with every drift of wind that strikes the humming metals. This was peace in itself.

"We're in St. Pauls Cathedral. You know that dome we see by the River Thames, it's that." Granger pointed to the large white dome visible between the spaces of the large columns.

"It's quiet here." He said even with the amount of people he could see by the field below.

"Well this is a church. I think it's natural to find peace here." Granger stood by the pillar and leaned on them as she viewed the outside world. He followed soon after and took the opposite column. The twinkling skylights of London glimmered in the distance. "This is where I sometimes go when I need to think."

"Malfoy, nothing will change right?" She asked softly after a minute of stillness. She had to make sure. She had to hear. She knew Malfoy understood what she was pertaining to. She was already prepared for the heartbreak. What she couldn't take was her dynamics with Malfoy to change. If it did, she couldn't forgive herself for it.

"Depends on you. If you wanted something to." He answered her cryptically. Trust Malfoy to play mind games now. Of course she doesn't want to. They've been through enough to have potential feelings destroy her relationship with him. She'd work on her feelings if she had to.

"You really are insufferable." She grinned at him. She'd keep everything as normal as she could.

"Isn't that what you are?"

And she laughed. This was normal. This was them. This was something she really wouldn't change for the world.

"Thank you." She said sincerely after the chuckling stopped. "Thank you for saving me from that dream."

"I'm your partner."

"I know." And Hermione gave him an appreciative smile. The longing expertly hidden in the shadows of the wind, beneath the twinkling skies.

Silenced reigned between them that neither knew how to break and Draco was getting frustrated by the minute. It was minute of observing her that she let out a soft sigh as she watched the sparkling city underneath the stillness of the night that he wondered why this was enough for her. He couldn't understand it. To have her heart continuously shattered and repaired over and over again and still remain whole. It was the strength of her will that amazed him, not allowing herself to be lost in the broken remains of yearning she suffered.

He gritted his teeth in exasperation. "What is it with you Gryffindors?" He finally exclaimed and Granger looked at him, eyes wide in surprise. "Why can't you just take what you want?"

"I'm not sure I follow you." She said in slight befuddlement.

"That's just it!" His tone was rising in annoyance. "You save the goddamn world. You hunt criminals. You gave yourself to everything and everyone to make them happy. What about yours?" He breathed in and out to control the mix emotion enveloping him. Pressure was in his chest and he pinched the bridge of his nose to level his breathing. He was frustrated, he was annoyed, he was irritated and he was battling to urge to just take her into his arms.

"I'm not sure what you mean but I'm fine."

"Don't be daft Granger. Stupid isn't your color." He said sharply at her unperturbed face. "And you can't seem to lie your way out of trouble. What is it you want most?"

"You know about my dream." She finally stated softly.

"I was there the morning you told Potter. I didn't want to disturb the two of you so I stayed by the door."

"Oh," The feeling of mortification grew on her. "This is most definitely not awkward and not to mention embarrassing." She sarcastically muttered as she drew a deep breath. "Malfoy, what do you want me to say? And I'm not lying when I say I'm fine. I really am." she leveled her gaze at him. She had accepted her position a long time ago.

Draco was close to pulling his hair out, or hers. This infuriating witch who gave and gave and took back very little for herself. Even Potter was the same. What is with this lot who took the selfless act so gallantly.

"If you're certainly fine as you say. How come you're dream is the way it was? We both know how the Dark Sleep works. Don't be a coward Granger."

That certainly made her shackles rise. _How dare he!_ Nobody calls her a coward. Not Draco _bloody_ Malfoy.

"I've faced Voldemort you asshole! I fight Death Eaters!"

"That's not what I meant and you know it Granger." He was looming over her, fed up with the distance between the columns of the tower. This way he could her clearly, hear the truth hidden between the denials she buried herself in.

A snake cornering a lion. How utterly bizarre.

"What do you want from me?" Her voice was rising in octave, temper flaring, no longer caring at the words blurting out from her mouth. "You want to hear the truth directly? Yes I've hid. I've hidden my feelings deeper and deeper until I could ignore everything about them. I was scared!"

Now that her tirade had started, she just couldn't seem to stop. Anger was coursing through her. She didn't know if it was because of the maddening man in front of her for accosting her or the accusations he was throwing at her. Maybe it was at herself for hiding too long.

"I was scared!" She was already screaming at this point and she didn't care. "I didn't know what I was feeling. We are partners for crying out loud! I thought it was a phase. I thought if I buried myself in work I would forget it ever existed!"

"That certainly worked well for you." He said amusingly. This was a first he saw Granger completely lose it. He knew her well enough that when she was angry, she tended to bottle her rage, until she could calm herself off.

"Fuck off!" She flipped him heatedly, unaware of the angry tears were forming at the edge of her eyes. "I was stupid for letting it get to far. I didn't know how to stop it. Every day I was with you and every day I told myself to get over it. Every day you were taunting me with something I cannot have so I tried to bury it!"

Her voice was practically shaking at this point, from anger, from fear, she wasn't certain. All she knew was that, she was bearing her heart and soul and any moment now it was to be handed back to her stomped on and broken. The sad part was, she already knew this from the very beginning. The lack of sleep, longing and anger has given her a case of verbal diarrhea. Why must she torture herself so?

"I fell for you," she said softly, her strength waning in the outburst she did. "God forbid why but I did." A lone tear escaped its imprisonment and traversed down her cheeks. Draco was transfixed at the way it glittered in moonlight. Hermione continued, unaware of this. "I thought I was successful in burying those feelings. Maybe I haven't dug dig enough or maybe I haven't buried far enough. That dream made me realize that I could get never away from you, from this. It was my torture and redemption rolled into one. You're everything I wished for yet one I could never have."

"You make it sound like it was the worst thing to happen to you." Draco said and Hermione gave a dry laugh muffled in the ringing silence of the night.

Hermione took a deep breath before answering. She was a lot calmer now, a lot more in control, far from the mess she was before. She decided to be truthful. _Total Honesty Hermione_. _It's not like you haven't bared your inner most secret already._ "What was I supposed to do? It's not like you're mine Malfoy. Astoria must have been furious at me for interrupting the two of you earlier. Granted I could take her on with only a finger and – mmfph-" a hand muffled her ramblings and she looked up at the serious face of Draco Malfoy.

 _What the hell-?_

"First of all, how many fucking times must I say that we're NOT together? As if I'd let that bloody bint take a hold of me." He shuddered and growled at the memory of the stunt Astoria pulled earlier. He'd never let himself be caught off-guard like that again. He was grateful that Granger interrupted the way she did. "Second, I am gonna kill bloody Potter." He muttered annoyingly.

Granger managed to free her mouth out of his grasp with wide eyes at his disclosure. "You're not-? I mean- hold on- what's Harry got to do with it?" she asked confusingly.

"Potter knows. I assumed he would have told you given how nosy he is."

Realization dawned on Hermione. "That explained why he kept pushing me to talk to you." _Oh she was definitely gonna kill Harry before the night ends, s_ he thought trying to ignore her heart when it did a little jump at his revelation. She understood now why Harry was insisting the way he was. He knows. If she wasn't so distracted, she could have realized that Harry has this glint in his eyes that spoke of mischief. _That bloody- rrrgh._

 _Still, it doesn't mean anything._

"Why do you still look like you swallowed something nasty and it got stuck down your throat." Draco suddenly asked watching the multitude of expression crossed her face. He expected that the little confession he did would have made her happy, at least a little. She was seriously confusing him. This beautiful exasperating witch.

Does she have any idea how she glows radiant under the beaming moonlight. How the soft breeze that caressed her skin made him want to touch for himself. Would she shirk away? Would she welcome it? Those eyes that beckoned him to come forward.

He slammed his fist at the stone column above their head. A sign of his annoyance and irritation. The silence seemed to echo around them, added to the reverberating hum of the bells.

"I don't think that the priests would like to find their house of worship destroyed Malfoy." Hermione said to him softly.

"Granger," he said warningly. "Shut up. You talk too much." He didn't think he could last another minute without touching her. He was being drawn to her. _Like moth to a flame._ The scent of fresh blossoms coming from her surrounded him. 

"Hey!" she shouted in protest. Clear indignation visible on her face. "Earlier you all but -"

He crashed his lips to her.

He could have lost himself in her. He loved her fire, her passion, the way she gave herself and commit herself to something she cared passionately about. He drank in her scent when she parted his lips for him and took what she offered. She kissed him back in equal fervor and she was driving him mad.

 _How was he able to resist this long without her?_

He pulled her closer to him, wrapping an arm on her waist to flush himself to her and the other hand was tangled in her hair. A pair of hands wrapped on his neck and their body was molded into one. He could kiss her and kiss her and it still wouldn't be enough. He wanted her. This was bliss. This was heaven.

He ended the kiss softly for a much needed air. He let his head fell on her shoulders in a bid to get his bearings back. Kissing Granger and getting drunk, like downing a dozen shots of firewhisky consecutively. And he would do it again and again.

He held her a little tighter and brought his lips to her neck. A deep pleasurable moan echoed on him as he nipped her neck and her hands tightened his hold on his hair.

 _Fuck. What he wouldn't give to taste her again._

"Draco" she called out to him softly. His name on her lips brought reactions he wouldn't be able to describe. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what he was doing but as she wasn't complaining, he must have been doing it right.

He pulled away from her a little to see her flush face and swollen lips and found himself caressing her face. Those golden brown eyes that shined brighter in the pale light seemed to suck him in. He'd be damned if he allowed himself to let her go.

"I- I-" _Fuck_ , what was he supposed to say? "Look Hermione, I-" He groaned and let out a sigh as he leaned down his forehead on hers. "Fuck, why is this so hard?" he muttered and he frowned at the light chuckle his witch let out.

Hermione found herself trapped in those eyes, those silvery stormy eyes that captured her stare and she was unable to look away. She didn't think she could feel those kisses again. Those kisses she was sure only existed in her dreams. She doesn't need to know what Draco wanted to tell her. She could feel it in his kiss, in his gaze, in the way he holds her in his tightly.

"Draco," she called out again in soft whisper. "I love you."

 _I love you_

They were already at the point of no return and he didn't think he would want to.

He swooped down on her and he was deliriously dizzy from consuming too much of Hermione. He was in absolute heaven and he didn't want to get down from. He pulled away slightly just to enough to say, "I love you."

The moonlight continued to gaze at them, showering them in pale gleaming light.

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

They were still in the bell tower, sitting at the edge, locked in each other's embrace, watching the people who wandered below.

"Hermione, you still owe me dinner at that French Place in Diagon Alley, _Le Cellier._ " Draco suddenly said in the middle of kissing Hermione's neck.

Hermione looked at him as though he had suddenly grown an extra head. She would have rebuffed him until a faint recollection sprung to her mind, of French Restaurants and Red Wine and cake and Crookshanks that she suddenly laughed out loud. She could feel the soft smile Draco had on his lips as he tightened his hold on her.

"Just date me Granger," Draco said in her ear as he tucked a strand of hair behind her.

"Aren't you supposed to ask that before you kissed me?" Hermione said as she looked up at the smirking face of Draco Malfoy.

"Maybe," he said leaning forward. "Since when are we the conventional type?""

..+.+.. … …+.+… … ..+.+..

終わり

Finally it's done!

Thank you so much for all those who read. Let me know what you think of the last chapter.

Again ~ Thank you Thank you to everyone who have stuck with me to the end. Cheers!


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